If you frequently walk through the prairies and woodlands, or perhaps even your own backyard, you may come upon a rather delicate, whitish translucent tube of thin material that’s several inches long and has a scale pattern that resembles the skin of a snake. Well, it probably is a snake skin. It might come as a surprise, but snakes do occasionally shed their skin.
The skin of a snake is composed of several layers, and the outermost layer is composed of overlapping scales that are largely composed of keratin, the same material in fingernails and toenails. It is this outer layer that snakes must occasionally shed.
This outer skin layer of a snake does not grow along with the growth of the snake. And of course, it is subject to wear and tear. It may also carry parasites and other harmful organisms. So, the outer layer must be shed occasionally to accommodate growth and maintain fully functional skin. Although the frequency of a snake shedding its skin is quite variable, a ball-park estimate would be in the range of 4-6 weeks or so depending upon growth rate, nutrition, and other factors.
As one might expect, good vision is important to a snake. But snakes do not have eyelids like humans. Instead, they have what are called eye caps, a thin layer of skin that covers the eye. That layer is also shed, and if it is not shed properly vision may be permanently impaired or perhaps the snake may become blind.
Visible changes occur in the snake when it is about to shed its skin. The skin becomes dull or faded, and the eyes turn cloudy or blue colored. The snake also becomes less active and spends more time in hiding. After a few days, when the new skin is formed, the eyes clear up and the skin around the nose loosens. The snake will then need to rub on something to loosen the skin around the mouth. As it continues to crawl, the old skin is shed, inside-out, in a fashion similar to ripping off a stocking gripped from the top.
