noun
- cast-off coverings of animals (such as the shed skins of snakes or the empty shells left by molting insects)
Usage: biological term; always plural
Examples
- The snake’s exuviae were found coiled beneath the rock.
- Cicada exuviae clung to the tree bark after the insects emerged.
- The biologist collected spider exuviae to study molting patterns.
- Crab exuviae littered the shoreline after the seasonal molt.
- The museum displayed various insect exuviae in the natural history section.
- Researchers examined the exuviae to determine the species of snake.