Timelapse captures seven-hour process of tarantula moulting

Out with the old, in with the new — even for tarantulas.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens posted a video on its YouTube page showing a tarantula moulting.

The timelapse video captures the seven-hour process of a red-kneed tarantula shedding its exoskeleton in order to grow larger.

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Depending on their age and type of species, adult tarantulas can moult once a year or every other year, the zoo said.

Since the exoskeleton of an anthropod is not flexible, moulting is necessary in order for the animal to grow larger.

But how exactly does this process happen?

For tarantulas, a contraction in the abdomen pushes fluid into the area where the head meets the upper body. The fluid creates pressure to the old exoskeleton and it pops off swiftly. The spider then proceeds to slide out of the exoskeleton like a quick change of clothes.

Other animals, such as snakes and insects, also go through the moulting process in order to grow.