Why do caterpillars shed their skin?

Humans shed their skin all the time - just not in one go. A caterpillar's 'skin' is actually its exoskeleton, made of a hard material called chitin. As the caterpillar grows, it's exoskeleton does not grow with it. read more

One of my favorite caterpillar facts is that they shed their skin about four times throughout their lifespan. As others have mentioned, this is the way that caterpillars grow in size. When their skin becomes to small to contain their growing bodies they shed, or molt, to continue the growth process. read more

Caterpillars after coming out from the eggs after hatching eats all day and night for about 25 to 30 days. As it eats more food than its weight of the body, their skin splits and they have the need to shed their skin. read more

Caterpillars are larval forms of insects such as butterfly. Caterpillars shed their skin 3-5 times while they grow and this process is called molting. Their skin never grows as skin of human does, so while growing they have to crawl out of their skin when their skin becomes too tight. read more

Humans shed their skin all the time - just not in one go. A caterpillar’s ‘skin’ is actually its exoskeleton, made of a hard material called chitin. As the caterpillar grows, it’s exoskeleton does not grow with it. read more