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Autotomy and regeneration in lizards
Autotomy and regeneration in lizards. At some time in its life this Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis) was caught by its tail. To escape, the lizard detached a part of the tail, an ability called autotomy, or self amputation. The tail started to wriggle violently and this, hopefully, distracted the predator. Over a period of several weeks the tail may be regenerated - not with a bony skeleton but a single piece of cartilage. The new scales usually look different in colour and shape too. The regenerated tail is often shorter. Some species can regenerated several times.
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