Insect Misconceptions and Misinformation   Misconceptions/Misinformation #4: Insects shed their "skin" when they molt. Examples containing misinformation: "Soon the nymph gets too big for its hard outer covering. It wriggles out of its old skin and grows a new outside cover. This is called molting." From: Chirping Crickets by Melvin Berger. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. 1998, p 16 ISBN 0-06-445180-1 Explanation: The outer covering of an insect is not analogous to our skin. Rather, it is an exoskeleton that has a different composition from our internal skeleton even though it functions as a covering system. In insects, it serves as a support system and for muscle attachment. Instead of bone, like in humans, the insect exoskeleton is made of chitin, a substance that provides support and structure not hardness. In contrast, our skin has nothing to do with supporting our internal skeleton, but is actually a covering layer of epidermal cells. Q. Can you think of an organism that has an internal skeleton like ours, but part of which appears to be external? A. The turtle. Turtle shells are, in fact, modified extensions of their vertebrae, the structural components of the vertebrate spinal column. The skin of the turtle extends over the internal skeletal shell. Back to Misconceptions