Process
The spider secretes a new cuticle beneath the old, splits the carapace along defined sutures, and extracts itself. Newly molted spiders are pale and vulnerable for several hours until the new cuticle sclerotizes.
Lost legs regenerate gradually across successive molts; a leg lost after the final molt does not regrow.
References
- [1]Arthropod Molting - Smithsonian Institution. Accessed June 2026.
Related in Biology
- Spider anatomySpiders (order Araneae) have two body segments - the cephalothorax (prosoma) and abdomen (opisthosoma) - connected by a narrow pedicel.
- Spider silk and web typesAll spiders produce silk, but not all build webs.
- Spider life cycle and reproductionSpiders develop through egg, spiderling, and adult stages.
- Spider vision and sensesMost spiders have poor vision and rely on vibration and touch.
- Spider respiration: book lungs and tracheaeSpiders breathe through book lungs, tracheae, or both, depending on lineage.
- Spider venom compositionSpider venoms are complex cocktails of peptides, enzymes, and low-molecular-weight compounds.