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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.
The variable fat-tailed gecko has a stout body, short limbs and a broad, flat tail of similar size to the head. It is approximately 60 mm (2.4 in) long, snout-to-vent (SVL = measurement taken from the tip of an animal's nose to the opening of the cloaca) with a tail length around 40% of the SVL.
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.
The tail length can be equal to the length of the body from snout to the anus (SVL or Snout-Vent Length). [3] In 2004, the species was synonymized with Lygodactylus picturatus. [4] The yellow-headed dwarf gecko has a defense mechanism called tail autotomy, where they drop their tails to flee to safety when they are attacked by a predator.
A head close-up of a marbled gecko (Christinus marmoratus). Note the pads on its feet. Adults reach an average (snout-vent) length of 50mm, and weigh about 2.5g. [8] C. marmoratus have fat reserves in their tails, [9] which can be disconnected from their body when threatened, to aid in escape. Tails take about eight months to regenerate.
The gecko has a “slender” and “relatively robust” body. It’s considered “large,” reaching about 3.1 inches in size. A photo shows the forest dwarf gecko.
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 ]
Nearly 1,000 new species were found across the globe in 2023, adding significantly to the tree of life and illuminating how much biodiversity is waiting to be found on Earth.