Patience grasshopper: Insect caught carefully shedding skin and leaving a perfect replica of itself in rarely seen show of nature In a rare but amazing show of nature this grasshopper has been caught on camera shedding its old skin - and leaving behind a perfect replica of itself. Carefully, but with determination and dexterity the insect took 40 minutes to cast off its hard outer shell - called an exoskeleton - all while hanging onto a piece of grass. Photographer Adhi Prayoga, 41, watched the transformation in his back garden in Mataram, Indonesia and caught the moment on camera. A bright green grasshopper emerges from its old skin, leaving a perfect replica of itself behind The insect expertly shed its exoskeleton while hanging on a piece of grass Carefully, but with determination and dexterity, the insect wriggles out of the shell The salesman said: 'I observed the grasshopper as she started to turn her head down as she clung to a 30 centimetre grass. Carefully, she moved her body to release the old skin and I was amazed as she successfully separated from the intact shell. Then I saw some ants interested in the moulting process start to run up the stem. Photographer Adhi Prayoga, 41, watched the transformation in his back garden and caught the moment on camera After a delicate 40 minute process the grasshopper, pictured in a back garden in Mataram, Indonesia, was free from his old skin Grasshoppers and crickets are part of an insect order called the Orthoptera, which also includes wetas and katydids. There are about 10,000 different species of grasshoppers, with the biggest growing to about 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) long. In some countries, grasshoppers are boiled and fried and eaten as a good source of protein. The skin- shedding is one stage in the metamorphosis of the grasshopper. Eggs hatch into nymphs, which look like little adults without wings and reproductive organs. Nymphs molt many times as they grow to be adults. I was impressed by the insects" ability to walk deftly up and down the grass, and the ant took hold of the casing then dropped it. This is one stage of the grasshopper's metamorphosis. In certain countries, grasshoppers are eaten as a good source of protein, particularly in southern Mexico, where the 'chapulines' are regarded for their high content of minerals and vitamins. While grasshoppers eat plants, their predators include birds, beetles, rodents, reptiles, and spiders. Some flies also eat grasshopper eggs.