Watch a Tarantula Crawl Out of Its Own Skeleton

Watching a tarantula move can make a person's skin crawl -- especially when the arachnid is crawling out of its own skin. More accurately, tarantulas have what's known as an exoskeleton, the stiff outer structure housing the spider's internal organs similar to how human skin protects internal organs. To grow larger, tarantulas must form a new exoskeleton and shed their previous, smaller coverings in a process called molting. This time-lapse video shows a female Mexican Red Knee tarantula molting, an event that takes more than three hours but that is compressed here into a minute. To wriggle out of its old exoskeleton, the spider lies on its side and slowly pulls out its legs, like someone peeling off a tight pair of jeans.