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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.
They are native to Indonesia (4 species) and the Philippines (1 species) where they are generally found near water, such as rivers and mangrove. [3] Sailfin lizards are semiaquatic and able to run short distances across water using both their feet and tail for support, similar to the basilisks . [ 4 ]
The ability and degree of regeneration in reptiles differs among the various species (see [111]), but the most notable and well-studied occurrence is tail-regeneration in lizards. [112] [113] [114] In addition to lizards, regeneration has been observed in the tails and maxillary bone of crocodiles and adult neurogenesis has also been noted.
The tail drops off and wriggles around for a while after an attack, and the salamander either runs away or stays still enough not to be noticed while the predator is distracted. The tail regrows with time, and salamanders routinely regenerate other complex tissues, including the lens or retina of the eye. Within only a few weeks of losing a ...
Renesto (2005) argued that Tanystropheus lacked clear adaptations for underwater swimming to the same degree as most other aquatic reptiles. The tail of Tanystropheus was compressed vertically (from top-to-bottom) at the base and thinned towards the tip, so it would not have been useful as a fin for lateral (side-to-side) movement. The long ...
T. rugosa has a short, wide, stumpy tail that resembles its head and may serve the purpose of confusing predators. The tail also contains fat reserves, which are drawn upon during brumation in winter, during which many lizards perform a behaviour similar to hibernation except they require water every day, but can go without food.
Mertens' water monitor (Varanus mertensi), often misspelled Mertin's water monitor, is a species of monitor lizard. The species is endemic to northern Australia , and is a wide-ranging, actively foraging, opportunistic predator of aquatic and riparian habitats. [ 2 ]
Tuatara are of interest for studying the evolution of reptiles. Tuatara are greenish brown and grey, and measure up to 80 cm (31 in) from head to tail-tip and weigh up to 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) [10] with a spiny crest along the back, especially pronounced in males. They have two rows of teeth in the upper jaw overlapping one row on the lower jaw ...