Lizards possess a unique survival trick. They can detach their tails to escape predators. This process is called autotomy. The tail regrows, though not perfectly. Scientists are studying this ...

Ecologists have answered a question that has puzzled biologists for more than a century: What is the main factor that determines a lizard's ability to shed its tail when predators attack? University ...

Curtin University researchers have found that King's skink lizards can re-regenerate their tails, which may help them conserve energy and escape predators, potentially improving their survival and ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

When danger strikes, humans usually have two choices — run or fight. But in the wild, some animals have figured out a third, much stranger option: drop part of their own body to survive. It's called ...

Certain animals voluntarily shed a body part in response to attempted predation. Lizards losing their tails when they are pulled by a predator is well known. This self-amputation is called autotomy.

When being chased and nipped at by a scary predator, lizards will often lose their tails in a process called autotomy. Like a chicken with its head cut off, the tail will then flop around by itself ...

Caudal autotomy, the voluntary shedding of the tail, is a widespread antipredator strategy among lepidosaurs that allows individuals to escape predation at the cost of appendage loss. Following ...