What is molting in mammals? Spring and autumn molt of wild animals
What is called molting in birds? This is the process by which the feather cover changes. For birds, it is a must. Over time, feathers wear out, lose their thermal qualities and even affect the ability to fly. When molting, the layer of the epidermis also changes, which periodically dies off. The scales on the paws and the beak plates are renewed.
All birds molt differently. For some it is fast, for some it lasts more than six months. Some birds shed profusely, so that even bald patches are formed, while others may not notice the process of plumage change. However, they all have one thing in common - weakening of the immune system. Birds become less mobile, they experience drowsiness. Also, birds during molting need more nutritious food. As for domestic individuals, they require more careful care during this period.
Shedding types
There are two types of shedding:
- Juvenile - in young individuals. It occurs in all birds in different time... For example, in chickens, juvenile molt begins at 3-45 days of age and ends at about 4-5 months. And in young individuals, this molt occurs somewhat later. It begins at the age of 60-70 days, but ends after 2 months.
- Periodic is a molt in adults that occurs once a year.
What is molting in birds? This is a periodic change of plumage. In adults in natural conditions it does not depend on age, but on the season. This is usually the end of summer or fall. But in captive birds, molt occurs only after oviposition.
Plumage change periods
Birds always begin to molt from the central part. The new feathers have a wider fan than the discarded ones, and they are lighter than the old ones. The duration of the plumage change is also different for everyone.
Birds can molt several times a year, it all depends on their species. But all birds, without exception, go through the first annual change of feathers. The beginning of this process is different for each species. In some, it is between migrations, in others, in the interval between the laying of eggs and the appearance of chicks.
What birds need during molting
During this period, the immunity of birds is weakened, and their body needs additional microelements. If in natural environment habitat birds intuitively find everything they need, then birds living at home need additional care. This includes essential vitamin supplements and specialty foods. This is especially necessary for those who have the process taking place in winter period... Birds that have bright color, attention needs to be paid more than the rest. If they are fed incorrectly, the plumage will become dull.
What to do if the bird does not shed
The reason for the lack of molting may lie in illness or incipient health problems. Such birds are kept in warm rooms, but the air should not be very dry or humid. It is also necessary that the cage or aviary be large and spacious.
What is called molting in birds? This is a plumage change in which the skin can become tighter. In order for it not to dry out and remain elastic, swimsuits with water should be installed in cages and aviaries. If the bird does not use them, then it should be sprayed daily from a spray bottle. But if the molt has not come, then you can try adding ant pupae to your food.
Molting in chickens: features
Due to the fact that there is the possibility of adjusting the climate, the molting process does not depend on the season at all. A hen hatched in spring molts in early winter or late fall. Accordingly, if she was born in the fall, then this process occurs at the end of spring or summer. During molting, the hen does not lay eggs. It lasts from 15 to 20 days. After molting, the egg production of the hen resumes immediately.
Individuals that were born in the spring are mainly raised for meat. Because their egg-laying period is short, it is unprofitable to keep such a bird on the farm. At the same time, molting in such chickens is very slow.
How does the plumage change in parrots
In these birds, the process occurs several times a year. The very first molt in parrots begins at two months of age. This period is very important, as the individual takes place. After the end of the molt, the parrot is considered already adult and sexually mature.
This is the process for the normal existence of birds. Feathers change not only during puberty, but throughout life. This usually happens twice a year. At the same time, the bird becomes inactive, lethargy and drowsiness appear. This is due to the fact that during molting, metabolic processes are enhanced.
Plumage changes also occur after the mating period. In some species, the molting process is generally invisible, bald patches are not observed. But if the feathers fall out unbalanced, then the parrot cannot fly at this time. Moulting is often the bird's reaction to being frightened. Sometimes it is a symptom of a serious medical condition.
How do cockatiels shed
This natural process occurs in all birds, regardless of species. In this way, Corella also changes its color a little, since the new feathers have brighter and more saturated shades. But this species of birds also has its own characteristics.
We have already figured out what is called molting in birds. In cockatiels, this process occurs gradually. The flight feathers change first, then the steering feathers. The process takes long time- up to six months. Moreover, in several stages. But it is very difficult to notice it visually.
Young birds molt a little faster: they begin to lose plumage by the age of four months, and finish by the end of the first year of life. At this time, the diet is very important. Corella needs to get as many vitamins and minerals as possible.
When molting, some parrots experience severe pain. But for the most part, this process is painless. However, molting in cockatiels is accompanied by unpleasant sensations. Therefore, in captivity, drafts and high humidity are contraindicated for them. Nutrition should be complete, and during the peak of molt - very nutritious. Oilseeds must be present in the diet, you can give sunflower, hemp or chopped nuts. It is also recommended to use fortified products that are sold in all pet stores.
In this article, we looked at what is called molting in birds, how it occurs and when. Summing up, we can say briefly: this is the change of old feathers to new ones, which birds have different types and ages falls at different times, and also depends on the change of seasons, etc.
Seasonal variability. Mammals wild animals in temperate and cold zones usually change their hairline... This hair change, called shedding, occurs in spring and autumn, and accordingly it is called spring and autumn. Observations have established that in tropical countries and in the far north, the animals living there molt only once a year, and it occurs gradually. Mammals living mainly in water do not have any noticeable spring and autumn molt. In some species of seals, molt occurs only in the spring.
With the domestication of animals, molting becomes irregular, and so much so that hair does not change at all in some areas of the skin.
In connection with molting, a distinction is made between winter and summer hair. In most fur-bearing animals, winter and summer cover differ in height, density, different quantitative ratio of guard and down hair, shape, structure, hair color, thickness and density of skin tissue.
The greatest differences in the structure of winter and summer hair cover in fur-bearing animals living in conditions continental climate characterized by sharp seasonal changes temperature. Summer hair is shorter, coarser, less dense than winter. Down hair is poorly developed.
In some species of fur-bearing animals, summer hair differs from winter in color, for example, in a hare, ermine, white fox, replacing the white winter fur with a dark summer coat.
The skin tissue of summer skins is coarsely porous and for the most part thicker than that of winter skins. The roots of the guard hairs are so deep in the skin tissue that black dots can be observed in some places on the flesh side. The flesh side of the skin is blackish, bluish or greenish in color. Summer skins are of little value. The extraction of them in the USSR for the overwhelming majority of animal species is prohibited by law.
Winter skins are long, thin and thick hair... Downy hair predominates in the hairline. The skin tissue on the flesh side is uniformly white.
The skins reach the fullest pubescence by the beginning of winter. The skins obtained at this time are called full-haired. By the same time, the hairline acquires the best color for the given animal species.
The skins of different fur-bearing animals in different regions reach the greatest "maturity" at different times (in our latitudes between November and February).
The change of hair, called shedding, does not occur simultaneously on all parts of the animal's body; in some places it comes earlier, in others later. The sequence of hair changes in individual areas is also different for different animal species.
Moulting begins in areas of the body called "molt centers" and then spreads to adjacent areas in a sequence characteristic of each species. In some animals, molting begins with the rump, and then spreads to the ridge, thighs, scruff, head, paws and belly; in others, molt takes place in reverse order starting at the head and ending at the rump.
Periodic hair change is due to the cyclical nature of their development, characterized by the change of bulbous hair, which has completed its growth, by growing new papillary hair.
Shedding is associated with the formation of colored, usually dark spots visible on the flesh side of dried raw hides. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that deep and closely lying pigmented hair roots lie in dark places. As the hair grows, the roots are freed from the pigment and the color of the spot disappears. Therefore, in the light areas of the skin of the skin, there are always grown or light, non-pigmented hair that is in the growth stage.
Molting time also depends on the age of the animal. So, in many species of fur-bearing animals, molt of young animals proceeds somewhat later than in adults.
There is also a dependence of molting on the sex of the animal. In spring, females of many species of fur-bearing animals molt earlier than males and their molt proceeds more rapidly.
Most species of fur-bearing animals molt twice a year. Beasts falling into hibernation molt once a year. The mole molts three times a year.
Twice molt during the year occurs in squirrels, water rats, gophers, white hares, hares, sables, martens, Siberian weasels, ermine, polar fox, minks.
In fur-bearing animals hibernating (ground squirrel, marmot, chipmunk, badger), new hair does not form during 7-9 months of hibernation. They have one long shedding hairline, which begins in the spring and ends at the time of hibernation.
This means that these animals do not have summer fur. In summer they are covered with thinning winter fur, consisting mainly of faded, dull, guard hair.
Age-related variability. The hair and skin of fur-bearing animals and animals undergoes significant changes with age, and the most drastic changes observed in early age... As a rule, newborn cubs, growing up, at the end of the lactation period change their primary hairline to another, secondary one, which differs both in structure and color from the primary one. Age-related variability is characteristic of the hairline of sheep, seals, and polar foxes.
Usually, the primary hairline differs from the secondary in greater softness, tenderness and velvety; guard hair - thin, slightly differing from fluff in thickness and length (in connection with which the primary hairline is often called puffy).
The primary hairline also differs from the secondary in its color, which is most often darker than the color of adults. The exception is the white coloration of the lush hair of newborn baby seals (seal pups). The coat of adult seals is dark in color, in addition, it is less luxuriant.
The skin tissue of skins covered with primary hair is thin, loose and fragile.
The quality of the secondary hair coat is close to that of an adult animal.
Due to the fact that the quality of the skins of young fur-bearing animals is low, their fishing is prohibited (with the exception of pests - wolf, jackal, ground squirrel).
The age-related variability is differently expressed in most agricultural and domestic animals, in which the skins of the young provide the most valuable fur product (astrakhan fur, birch, foal, goat, calves). But for this group of animals there are exceptions: the skins of a rabbit, a cat, a dog with primary hair are of little value.
Sexual variability. The hair and skin of males and females of fur animals has some differences. These differences are relatively indistinct, expressed in the size of the skins, the length and thickness of the hair, as well as the thickness of the skin tissue.
The skins of male fur-bearing animals, except for the beaver, are larger than the skins of females.
In males, the hair coat, with rare exceptions, is more magnificent and coarse (black polecat, Siberian weasel, bear). In some animal species, males, unlike females, have a mane ( seals, rams).
The skin tissue of male skins is thicker than that of females. Individual variability.
In a batch of skins of the same species, age and sex, caught in the same area and at the same time of the year, it is often difficult to find two completely identical skins in color, height, thickness and softness of the hairline. This is due to the individual (personal) variability of animals, regardless of gender, age, season and habitat.
Individual variability of the hair coat of fur-bearing animals, agricultural and domestic animals is a serious factor complicating the sorting of fur raw materials and semi-finished products, since it requires an individual assessment of the quality of each skin.
In different species of fur-bearing animals, individual variability is expressed differently. For example, in otter skins, it is weakly expressed, while in sable skins, on the contrary, it is very strong.
A batch of sable skins from one region and one variety is so diverse that it has to be divided into groups according to color, splendor, softness and other signs of hair.
In agricultural and domestic animals, the individual variability of the hair cover is expressed no less sharply than in wild fur-bearing animals.
For example, in the skins of karakul lambs, individual differences in the nature, structure and size of the hair curls are so great that the skins are divided into dozens of varieties of different quality and value during sorting. In domestic animals, even belonging to the same breed, there is an individual variability in the color of the hairline. An example is the same karakul skins, which come in black, gray, brown and other colors.
Owners of furry four-legged pets are well aware of such a period when the hair of their pets is found absolutely everywhere, and even in food. This causes a lot of inconvenience, but it is a completely normal physiological process. Not only cats and dogs are subject to molting, but also other representatives of terrestrial vertebrates. All of them require special attention during this period. What and how to do during molting - we will tell you further.
What is molting
Molting is a natural process during which the animal's outer cover changes. For each class of tetrapods, this process has a specific character. So, reptiles change upper layer skin, epidermis. Mammals and birds replace the skin (feathers, fur, wool). Insects, on the other hand, are capable of shedding body parts during the molt process.
Seasonal molt is characteristic of mammals and birds. They change their plumage and fur from warmer to lighter, and vice versa. Together with the density of the cover, its color can also change.
Pets that are capable of shedding
To pets, shedding, include:
- (canines);
- birds (etc.);
- lizards;
- amphibians ();
Did you know? Latin name of all four-legged animals, Tetrapoda, comes from the fusion of two ancient Greek words: τετράς, which means« four» , and πούς -« leg» .
Features of the molting process in pets
We have already said that for each class of terrestrial vertebrates, the change in cover has its own characteristics. We will talk about them further.
In dogs
Natural molting in dogs and all canines is seasonal (in spring and autumn). The seasonal molt does not last long, a week or two. For the first time, young individuals experience this phenomenon at the age of six months. In order for the four-legged pet to be able to more easily endure the change of cover, it must be combed every day so that the coat can recover faster and do not form tangles.
The more you brush your pet, the less hair will be scattered throughout the living area. It should also be borne in mind that each type of coat should have its own approach. Smooth coats should be brushed and dried with a hard towel. Long-haired ones need to be brushed and trimmed.
During the molting period, the animal's behavior may change, since this process quite energy-consuming. The dog can lose weight, become more lethargic, lazy, passive. To maintain the animal's body in good shape, it is necessary to change its diet, make it more nutritious. You should also add more vitamins to the menu. Special vitamin complexes can be found in veterinary pharmacies.
Breeds that shed the least:
- some
- and some others.
Important!Household pets may shed year-round, or the seasonal molting period may be shifted. This is due to the constant high temperature and dry indoor air. Therefore, it is advisable to take the dog outside as often as possible so that the molt is at a certain time.
In cats
Small kittens change their soft baby hair to a tough adult one at the age of five to seven months. This can last from several weeks to several months. It all depends on the breed. When the hairline has changed from a child to an adult, seasonal shedding begins. It happens twice a year, in spring and autumn. Its duration is two to three months.
During this period, the cat becomes less active. To make the change of a fur coat easier for an animal, it must be fed in a balanced way and given a full complex of vitamins. It should also be combed daily. pet to rid it of dead villi and stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles for more rapid growth new hair.
If you notice that your cat has been shedding for more than three months and its coat is dull, unhealthy, and falls out in tatters, you should contact your veterinarian. Perhaps there are some deviations in the pet's health.
To prevent unnatural discoloration, you should:
- regularly examine your pet for bald patches, bumps or spots on the skin;
- enrich the cat's diet with B vitamins, choose a more suitable food for the type of wool and age;
- regularly treat the pet from fleas, ticks and worms.
Weakly shedding cat breeds:
Birds
Parrots and canaries are common inhabitants of apartments as pets of birds.
Parrots are characterized by seasonal molting. The change of plumage occurs gradually, and therefore the behavior of the bird does not change. During this period, it is enough to introduce into the diet minerals, vitamins, amino acids. They will help the plumage recover faster. You should also restrict the bird in free flight. If a bleeding wound has formed at the site of the dropped feather, then it must be treated with a solution of ferric chloride.
Canaries change plumage once a year, and this process lasts about a month. The young are still undergoing juvenile molt, during which the down is replaced by feathers. This happens in the second or third months of life and lasts until the chicks reach six months of age. The end of juvenile molt indicates the attainment of puberty.
Plumage change in canaries is more energy intensive than in parrots. Therefore, during this period, their voice disappears, their appetite is lost, and their temperature rises. If the change of plumage occurs during the warm season, then the cage with the bird should be taken out to Fresh air under Sun rays... In the cold season, it is necessary to create artificial lighting using fluorescent lamps... You need to introduce greens, fruits, berries, vegetables into the diet, eggshell, ash, clay.
Important!Try to disturb the birds as little as possible. If they get scared, they can easily injure the immature feathers on the cage bars.
Spiders
In spiders, the change of cover occurs constantly, starting from the very birth. Thus, the growth and development of the exoskeleton is carried out in them. Newly born spiders shed about once a month. In older individuals, the interval between exoskeleton changes is two to three months. In adults, this process occurs every three years. The darkening of the exposed abdomen is indicative of the approach of molting.
The process of replacing the exoskeleton in arachnids can be divided into four stages: pre-molt, molt, post-molt and inter-molt stage. On initial stage a new exoskeleton is being formed. Hormones are responsible for this. Because of this, the spider becomes very aggressive. Pre-molting lasts from several days to two to three weeks. At the stage of molting, arthropods create excessive pressure inside themselves, thus tearing apart the old exoskeleton.
This may take them from several minutes to several hours. At the post molting stage, arthropods are very vulnerable.
Their new "shell" is still very soft, so they are not able to move and hunt normally. Recovery can take from several days to a month, depending on the age of the animal. On the last stage the spider fully recovers and returns to its usual rhythm of life.
Did you know?During molting, arthropods are able to restore previously lost limbs.
Amphibians
Amphibians change the top layer of their skin as it wears out. This usually happens in summer time... The frequency of the process depends on the ambient temperature.
They molt regularly throughout their lives, since the growth of the animal does not stop, and the skin does not grow. The cover peels off in one piece. On one of the parts of the body, it cracks, and the amphibian crawls out of it. To help themselves get rid of the old cover, the animals rub against rocks or driftwood. Some representatives of amphibians (frogs, salamanders) immediately eat old skin.
For the molting period, the main thing:
- Take cats and dogs out for walks more often.
- Birds, spiders, amphibians and reptiles should be disturbed as little as possible.
- Food should be as balanced and varied as possible. Vitamins and minerals should be added to the diet. In the mammals menu, enter fish fat, sea fish, liver.
- Dogs and cats should be brushed regularly. To clean the wool from dirt, it is advisable to use dry shampoos that strengthen the hairline.
At the moment when the larval stage insect grows to such a size when it begins to limit further growth in growth, it becomes necessary to change the cuticular cover. Such regular disposal of the worn-out is called molting. It begins with the detachment of the old hypodermis from the underlying hypodermis (a process called apolysis) and ends with discarding the old one (a process called ecdysis).
Moulting stages
The main stages of molting are as follows:
- separates from the hypodermis and a new epicuticle is formed.
- A liquid is released that dissolves the old endocuticle.
- There is a rupture of the old, usually along the midline on the dorsal surface and. The rupture is caused by blood pressure.
- Immediately after molting, the new one is stretched. This happens during short period and after that stretched forms small folds or folds in the form of an accordion... With growth, the folds are straightened. When the possibilities of increasing the surface of the exoskeleton in this way are exhausted, a new molt becomes necessary. Fully formed, new is waterproof and has a specific coloration.
The process of dropping the old one in some cases takes no more than a few seconds, in others it takes an hour or more.
Moulting in butterflies
Age and stage
The period between any two molts is called stage, and the insect itself during this stage - age... So, the period between hatching from and the first molt is the first stage. Any individual at this stage of development is called the first instar. In all insects, except for primitive wingless insects, molt stops after reaching the adult stage.
Most insects molt at least 3-4 times, while some have up to 30 or more molts. The average number of molts is 5-6.
Experiencing periodic molting, insects can increase their size hundreds, or even thousands of times. The most primitive insects molt even after reaching puberty, and do not have a specific number of ages. For example, the Bristletail (Thermobia domestica L) can shed up to 60 times.
Winter has passed, along with snowfalls and frosts. The long-awaited spring has come, the sun is hot - the most suitable time for a trip to the zoo. But some visitors are unhappy and complain: why are the snow goats so shaggy, and their fur sticks out in tufts, why has the fox's fur lost its winter shine and looks kind of dull? Even the usually neat wolves look unkempt.
In fact, everything is very simple: our animals molt. In the spring, they no longer need a long, thick and lush hairline, without which they could not survive harsh winter... It's time to replace it with another, lighter, summer one, which is half the length and less often. For example, a squirrel has 1 sq. cm of body surface instead of 8100 winter hairs, only 4200 years old grows, and in a white hare, instead of 14 thousand hairs, only 7 thousand.
The molting of animals has long been of interest to zoologists. Research recent years it was found that, in addition to temperature, it is influenced by light acting on the animal's body through the gland internal secretion- the pituitary gland. For hare molt length daylight hours- the determining factor, the temperature only accelerates or delays this process.
The timing of molting in wild animals depends on the geographical latitude of the area. In some mammals and birds, along with molting, the color changes: the light is replaced by a darker one. The white winter color of the white hare turns gray in summer, and the squirrel turns from gray in the spring to red. A similar transformation occurs with the ermine, ptarmigan and other species. Here, too, everything is clear, in winter animals become invisible against the background of snow, in summer it is more difficult to notice them against the background of ground and grass. This is called patronizing coloration.
The molting of animals takes place in a strict sequence and in each species in its own way. For example, in a squirrel, spring molt begins from the head. First of all, bright red summer hair breaks through at the front end of her muzzle, around her eyes, then on the front and hind legs, last of all - on the sides and on the back. The whole process of “dressing up” lasts 50-60 days. The fox has signs spring molt appear in March. Its coat loses its shine and begins to thin out gradually. The first signs of molting can be seen on the shoulders, then on the sides, and the back of the fox's body remains covered with winter fur until July.
Almost all animals molt. But the inhabitants of the continental climate, characterized by sharp seasonal temperature changes, a change cold winter and hot summer, molt quickly, but the inhabitants of the tropics and semi-aquatic animals (giraffe, muskrat, nutria, sea otter) - gradually. Most mammals living in temperate latitudes, molts twice a year - in spring and autumn, but some animals (seals, marmots, ground squirrels, jerboas) - once.
Shedding is a natural process in which old and dead cells and tissues are replaced with newer ones. This means that the fact that our animals molt is an indicator of their health. But if molting becomes irregular and is accompanied by various painful phenomena (as sometimes happens in domestic cats and dogs), this can really be a cause for concern.
Now comes the turn of the second question: why don't we comb our molting animals? Well, firstly, this is not entirely true: we still help pets to get rid of winter wool. For example, a yak living in the Children's Zoo is regularly combed out. But only with predators this will not work - after all, a zoo is not a circus, here not all animals allow themselves to be touched. But they, too, are not "left to the mercy of fate." Take a closer look: in some enclosures (for example, in musk oxen) you will notice old trees or special structures made of different materials - the so-called "comb". Animals scratch about them regularly and with obvious pleasure. And their winter wool is not wasted - its employees then collect and give it to birds and small animals, which use it to build nests. Such nests can be seen in the "Night World".
Well, in conclusion, let's see who is actively molting in the zoo in the spring, to whom you need to turn Special attention who is interesting to watch. Molting is easy to spot in guanco, domestic llama and vicuna, foxes and hares, gray and red wolves, raccoons and raccoon dogs, musk oxen, snow goats and camels. Would you like to add someone to this long list yourself?
M. Tarkhanova
