This disturbing time-lapse shows a Brazilian whiteknee tarantula shedding its skin in a strenuous molting process.

The invertebrate lies on its back as it shakes intensely, peeling its old skin off its body.

Tarantulas molt to refresh the sensory hairs on the end of their legs that are used to detect smells, tastes and vibrations. The spiders can even regenerate missing legs during the molting process.

The filmer, Kieran Brant, said: "I decided to record this video as this is our male tarantula and being the first in our collection he is very dear to us. Unfortunately, after male tarantulas have their final (ultimate) molt they do not survive long.

"This was our first tarantula that we purchased two years ago! We currently now own 180+ tarantula's and have started breeding projects. We also have lots of other reptiles and inverts in our collection."

Kieran runs a YouTube channel, Alternative Inverts, documenting the lives of his tarantulas.