Alfred Hughes, age 11, of Metolius, Ore., for his question:

WHY DOES A SNAKE LOSE HIS SKIN?

A snake lives close to the ground where he travels among sharp stones and scratchy grasses. With all this wear and tear, his skin tends to get scuffy, which is very uncomfortable. So about once a year the snake changes his shabby outer skin for a nice new one. The new one grows in first, just below the surface. When this is ready, the snake is ready to shed his thin, shabby old skin. Shedding is very difficult and sometimes risky. But the bright, shiny new skin is worth all the trouble.