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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.
The African fat-tailed gecko is equipped with the ability to lose its tail when threatened or attacked. 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.
Eurydactylodes geckos have a long and slender tail [3] – being approximately the same length as their body [4] and possessing a snout-vent length of 100% [7] - and are round in cross section. [3] The tail is muscular [ 7 ] and prehensile, [ 3 ] aided by a subcaudal scansorial pad and adhesive subcaudal tissue with soft, long hairs. [ 2 ]
The lesser thorn-tailed gecko from Western Australia can shoot goo out of its tail. - Anders Zimmy/Natural History Museum
Diplodactylus conspicillatus, also known commonly as the variable fat-tailed gecko or the burrow-plug gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to Australia, where it is found in central and arid inland areas. [ 3 ]
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The broad-tailed gecko, southern leaf-tailed gecko, or Sydney leaf-tailed gecko [1] [2] [3] (Phyllurus platurus) is a common gecko of the family Carphodactylidae found in the Sydney Basin. [4] [5] The species uses its mottled colour to camouflage against bark or rock, and if threatened can drop its large fleshy tail as a decoy. The tail is also ...