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A white-headed dwarf gecko with tail lost due to autotomy. Autotomy (from the Greek auto-, "self-" and tome, "severing", αὐτοτομία) or 'self-amputation', is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards an appendage, [1] usually as a self-defense mechanism to elude a predator's grasp or to distract the predator and thereby allow escape.
A robust, medium-sized gecko, [6] with a large, triangular head. [5] It has a short, flattened, carrot shaped like tail, that ends in a knob. [6] [7] This tail can be autotomised to distract predators, however unlike other lizards they have only one cleavage point at the base, meaning it must sacrifice its whole tail in the event.
Like other species of gecko, individuals of G. japonicus primarily eat insects. The species is capable of autotomy, and will separate its tail from its body to escape predators. While this process avoids bleeding, as blood vessels at the base of the tail close to prevent blood loss, the gecko does lose a supply of fat tissue, which it can use ...
To fully explain why beavers slap their tails we need to look at their social structures. They live in colonies of around 8 to 12 individuals and form strong family bonds.
If the tail is lost, the new tail will have a more rounded shape, similar to the head. It may not match the body coloration and pattern of the gecko. The tail is also where they store their fat, an important energy reserve. With its tail, an African fat tailed gecko can go days on end without food. [11]
The prehensile-tail of a mantled howler monkey. A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to grasp or hold objects. [1] Fully prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and eating food in the trees.
In this golden age of scientific discovery, my hope is that, like living legend Sylvia Earle, we never take the ability to solve mysteries and gain new knowledge for granted so we can better ...
The tail can be dropped (via caudal autotomy) to distract predators. The crested gecko does not regenerate its tail once lost. Most adults in the wild lack tails. [4] The toes and the tip of the semi-prehensile tail are covered in small hairs called setae. Each seta is divided into hundreds of smaller (approximately 200 nanometres in diameter ...