Grasshopper (Molted Exoskeleton)

Description:

Molted skin or exoskeleton of a short-horned grasshopper. When they hatch, young grasshoppers look like adults but they don't have wings. After about 40 to 60 days a young grasshopper is an adult. As they grow, the grasshoppers shed their exoskeleton. This shedding is called moulting or molting. Each time they molt, there is a new, bigger exoskeleton underneath. This is because insects don't have skin that stretches as they grow. The young grasshoppers molt up to six times. After the last molt, they have wings. Source:http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/grasshops.htm.

Habitat:

Spotted on the leaf of a Zephyr Lily (Zephyranthes sp.). Garden, in Biñan Laguna, Philippines.

Notes:

Why Does a Nymph Shed Its Skin? Source: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects.... Like its parents, a nymph has a hard exoskeleton. This exoskeleton cannot grow or stretch. So, as the nymph grows, it must shed its exoskeleton. This is called molting. When a nymph is ready to molt, it climbs onto a leaf or a branch. It may even hang upside down. Slowly, the nymph slides out of its old exoskeleton. Underneath, the nymph has a new, soft exoskeleton. The nymph puffs up with air. This makes its body bigger while the new exoskeleton hardens. Now the nymph has room to grow until the next molt! As they molt, most nymphs grow wings. The wings begin as little pads. They grow with each molt. The wings are finally formed by the time of the last molt.