Adder (Vipera berus) in closeup, before shedding skin, Northumberland National Park, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), hauled out for their annual catastrophic molt (moult) on the beach at Snow Island, Antarctica, Polar Regions

Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), hauled out for their annual catastrophic molt (moult) on the beach at Snow Island, Antarctica, Polar Regions

An adult border anole (Anolis limifrons) shedding its skin in a tree at Playa Blanca, Costa Rica, Central America

An adult border anole (Anolis limifrons) shedding its skin in a tree at Playa Blanca, Costa Rica, Central America

Spurge Hawkmoth (Hyles euphorbiae) larva shedding its skin

The endemic marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) in the Galapagos Island Group, Ecuador

Young Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) spy-hopping (note the sloughing skin) in the mid-riff region of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Mexico.

Sub-adult Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) surfacing (note the peeling skin) near Isla San Pedro Martir in the midriff region of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), Mexico