You may have heard that you should be careful with lizards because you could "pull their tail off." Here is the surprising part: that is not exactly what happens. Some geckos, skinks, and other lizards, along with the tuatara and many salamanders, drop their tails on purpose. The animal squeezes special muscles and the tail separates at a built-in weak spot in the bone. Scientists call this autotomy (aw-TOT-uh-mee), which means "self-cutting." It is one of the best escape tricks in nature. Imagine a bird grabs a lizard by the tail. The tail comes off, and the lizard is gone. This trick is extra useful because a lizard's tail is often half its whole length.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
