Shadowing Practice: Why do snakes shed their skin? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
71 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
(phone ringing) - Hi, it's Doug.
2
This is my family's pet tortoise, Mr. Tortoise.
3
I know, not the most creative name in the world.
4
Like other tortoises and turtles, as Mr. Tortoise grows, he sometimes sheds little bits of skin, even layers of these little plates on his back.
5
Someone named Molly, has a question about another kind of reptile that does this.
6
Let's give Molly a call now.
7
(phone ringing) - Hi, Doug. - Hi, Molly.
8
- I have a question for you, why does snakes shed their skin?
9
- Ooh, that's a great question.
10
Walking around in a forest, you might even find something like this, an entire skin left behind by a snake after it shed.
11
It's not common to see a wild snake in the act of shedding its skin, but people who have pet snakes have filmed lots of videos of this.
12
Like, check this out.
13
This is a type of snake called a Milk snake.
14
This one is named Candy Cane and Candy Cane here is in the process of shedding his skin with a little help from his caretaker.
15
Shedding starts at the snake's head and can take hours or days for the snake's old skin to be fully left behind.
16
And it's not just snakes that do this.
17
Insects do too, like dragonflies for example.
18
You can sometimes find the shed skins left behind by them, sitting on the tops of tall grass, or in many parts of North America, you can find the shed skin left behind by this, a cicada.
19
Wow, look at that.
20
Spiders do this too, like this tarantula.
21
Even some ocean creatures do this.
22
Crustaceans like this crab, as it slowly backs out of its old shell, shedding and leaving it behind.
23
Whoa, look at that.
24
Why do all of these animals do this?
25
Well, one clue is how often they do it.
26
All of these animals shed their skin a lot more when they're young, when they're growing.
27
Some baby snakes will shed their skin every two weeks.
28
Gradually, as they get bigger and bigger, they do it less often.
29
Instead of every two weeks, it becomes more like two to four times per year.
30
So shedding their skin seems to have something to do with how they grow, but wait a second, because we grow too and we don't shed our skins like a snake or an insect.
31
Can you imagine?
32
Would our parents save it and show our friends?
33
Aww, come look at the skin you shed when you were a little baby.
34
Aww, it's so cute.
35
Oh, that would be so weird.
36
And it's not just us either, lots of other animals don't seem to shed their skin as they grow, dogs, cats, hamsters, why do animals like snakes and insects shed their skin, but other living things don't?
37
What ideas do you have?
38
Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
39
Okay, you ready?
40
Well, actually it turns out we do shed our skin, not our entire skin all at one time, the way a snake or an insect or a crab does, but as our bodies grow, we do grow new skin and we shed little bits of old skin as we're growing.
41
Usually these little bits of skin we shed are so small, we don't tend to notice them, but sometimes, like if you wear dark clothing, you actually can notice little flecks of it here and there.
42
It's no big deal, we all do this and when you think about the fact that it means your body's growing, it's actually kind of interesting.
43
So then, why do these other animals shed their entire skin all at once?
44
That's something that's hard to know for sure, but it's probably something that's helpful to them.
45
I asked this question to some scientists who study these animals.
46
Some of them think that one possibility is that their skin is less flexible than ours.
47
Animals like insects, spiders, and crabs have a tough outer layer of skin that acts like a shield.
48
We call it an exoskeleton.
49
With such tough, rigid skin, it might be that being able to shed the entire skin every few months is what allows these animals to grow.
50
There could be another reason too.
51
A lot of animals often have tiny creatures living on them, tiny things like ticks, fleas, lice, sometimes these little animals even carry diseases.
52
Scientists have pointed out that when snakes shed their skin, it leaves lots of these little pests behind.
53
Shedding their skin gets rid of these pests.
54
So maybe shedding their entire skin all at once is a special feature that some animals have to get rid of pests.
55
Now, that said, animals that don't shed their entire skin can still get ticks and lice on them so they have to rely on other ways to get rid of these.
56
Like these giraffes who rely on birds to help pick them clean of any little pests, or these snow monkeys in Japan, they're carefully grooming each other to remove any tiny pests that might be hanging out in their fur.
57
So in summary, lots of animals shed their skin to make room as they grow.
58
Some of them do it all at once, some not.
59
Shedding their skin all at once has an interesting plus.
60
You don't have to take a shower.
61
That's all for this week's question.
62
Thanks, Molly, for asking it.
63
Now for the next episode I reached into my question jar and picked out three questions sent in to me that I'm thinking about answering next.
64
When this video is done playing, you'll get to vote on one.
65
You can choose from, why do we have leap years?
66
Who invented the piano?
67
Or how do traffic lights work?
68
So submit your vote when the video is over.
69
I wanna hear from all of you watching.
70
There are mysteries all around us.
71
Stay curious and see you next week.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
B1How does AI work?
KidsDaily Conversation
A22
Where do bugs go in winter?
KidsDaily Conversation
C137
How do bees make honey?
American AccentIELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
A24
How is butter made?
American AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
B14
Why is the sky blue?
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B111
Why do we celebrate April Fool's Day?
American AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
B11
Do sharks really want to eat people?
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
How can you tell if a mushroom is poisonous?
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B14
Are killer whales really dangerous?
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B18
Are vampires real?
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B1How is glass made?
American AccentHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
A21
44 sentences
All About Snakes for Kids: Learn about Snakes for Children - FreeSchool
KidsDaily Conversation
B12
47 sentences
How Do Our Bodies Move?
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A25
30 sentences
How Do Koalas Stay Cool? | Animal Science for Kids
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
![Отряд Призрак: 1 Сезон 45/46 Серия - Piraniak/Dinozos | Англ. дубляж [VK/TELEGRAM: ghostforce_rus]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MIMp9EsSj7A/mqdefault.jpg)
B11
336 sentences
Отряд Призрак: 1 Сезон 45/46 Серия - Piraniak/Dinozos | Англ. дубляж [VK/TELEGRAM: ghostforce_rus]
KidsDaily Conversation
B113
48 sentences
The Platypus Mystery: Animal Superpowers You Won't Believe! 🐾✨#animals #nature #educational
KidsDaily Conversation
B13
55 sentences
Camouflage | Science for Kids
KidsDaily Conversation
A240 sentences
Animal life cycles | Insects, Amphibians, Birds & Mammals
KidsDaily Conversation
A21
131 sentences
What Do Worms Eat?
KidsDaily Conversation
A26
77 sentences
How To Remove Cactus Spines?🌵 | What if You Get Pricked By Cactus? | Desert Plants | Dr. Binocs
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
30 sentences
What are Fossils? Science For Kids
KidsDaily Conversation
B12
44 sentences
Climate Change: Crash Course Kids #41.2
KidsDaily Conversation
Context & Background
In this engaging video, speaker Doug introduces us to his family pet tortoise, Mr. Tortoise, and dives into the fascinating subject of why snakes shed their skin. The conversation shifts to address a viewer’s question posed by a girl named Molly about snake behavior. Doug explains how shedding is common among various reptiles, insects, and even some marine creatures. Through vivid examples, he highlights the growth process of snakes and compares it with growth in other animals, ultimately enhancing our understanding of why certain species have this unique ability.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “Why does snakes shed their skin?” - A great question for initiating discussions about animal behaviors.
- “You can sometimes find the shed skins left behind by them.” - Useful for talking about observations in nature.
- “Shedding starts at the snake's head.” - A descriptive way to explain the process of shedding in animals.
- “It might be that being able to shed the entire skin every few months is what allows these animals to grow.” - A helpful phrase for discussing biological growth patterns.
- “Can you imagine?” - Perfect for prompting thought and discussion among friends.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively use the shadowing technique while watching this video, follow these steps to improve your English pronunciation:
- Watch First: Before diving into shadowing, watch the video once to get the overall context and understand the flow of conversation.
- Listen Actively: Play the video again and focus on Doug’s pronunciation and intonation, particularly when he emphasizes key phrases like “shed their skin.”
- Practice Shadowing: Pause the video after a short segment. Try to repeat Doug’s words immediately while mimicking his tone and rhythm. This shadow speak exercise will help solidify your grasp of the language.
- Record Yourself: Use a recording device to capture your own voice while shadowing. Listen to the playback to assess your pronunciation and compare it to Doug's.
- Repeat Regularly: Continue to practice with different segments of the video, focusing on your problem areas, until you feel more confident in your speaking abilities.
This method, as a part of a shadowing site resource, can enhance your English quite significantly and aid you in mastering the nuances of spoken language. By structured practice utilizing this shadowing technique, you’ll be well on your way to improving your English speaking skills consistently.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have filmed · have pointed |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might even find · might be |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | they're growing · we're growing · I'm thinking |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to get · have to rely · have to take |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.