Slender Anole

This periodic shedding allows the somatic growth of these organisms, since the number of scales doesn’t change, but instead they just grow bigger scales that can no longer fit in the previous skin! This is also why scale number is commonly used in reptile taxonomy and systematics.

However, somatic growth is not the only reason! The protective proteins degrade over time, so skin shedding also plays an important role in maintaining these protective layers. This way they maintain their rough skin protected against UV-rays, evaporation, parasites and other potential threats by renewing keratin.