Well, according to Dr. Craig Guyer, professor of biological sciences, with AU’s Colleges of Sciences and Mathematics.Originally Posted by IWantAnAudiRS6
That'd be newts, Rob...
All lizards have tails and all lizards can lose their tails, but not all lizards can grow them back. The tail is an important structure. We know that individuals with tails can run faster than those without tails. We also know that lizards that lose their tails lose an important source of energy because these animals store fats at the base of their tails. Finally, many species, like our local Green Anole, fight to establish their dominance over a territory and we know that individuals that lose their tails lose their ability to maintain a territory. So, lizards generally want to keep their tails.
There are two ways that lizards lose their tails. In all lizards around Auburn, the tail bones have central regions that break easily when the tail is pulled. The muscles of the tail pull apart easily and the blood vessels constrict to stop the wounded tail from bleeding. So, if a predator attacks a local lizard, the tail is designed to separate from the body, allowing the lizard to escape while the predator eats the tail. In species like Broad-headed Skinks, the tail is brightly colored (blue in this case) and is frequently twitched by the lizard so that predators see and attack the tail but not the body. Lizards that lose their tails in this way can grow them back but the replacement tail is never as long as nor as colorful as the original one. Replacement tails grow back in as little as three months or as long as two years.
In other lizards, especially big ones like iguanas and Komodo Dragons, the tail bones are not designed to break and the tail muscles are not designed to pull apart. These lizards can lose their tails, but it takes a much stronger pull to make this happen. The wound will heal, but the tail does not grow back.
Biologists have studied lizard tails for decades trying to discover how these animals can replace a body part that has been lost. To date, we do not totally understand how this happens. However, if we can unravel this mystery, then perhaps we can learn how to treat humans who lose limbs.
ohhhhh in your face smartass!
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