Autotomy
Autotomy is the active shedding of a body part, often as a defense against predators. In some animals, the detached part can regenerate.
Autotomy plane: A specialized region of an appendage where tissues separate during autotomy. Preformed separation sites let some animals shed an appendage without tearing surrounding tissues.
Lizard tail autotomy: The shedding of a lizard's tail at a specialized breakage point. Many lizards use tail loss to escape predators, sometimes leaving the tail moving behind.
Predator evasion: Strategies animals use to avoid being captured or eaten by predators. Autotomy is a form of escape that can break a predator's hold or redirect its attack.
Tail autotomy in lizards: The loss of a lizard's tail as a defense, followed by survival with a shortened or regenerated tail. Tail loss may reduce locomotion, social status, or energy reserves after an escape.
Hemostasis: The process that stops bleeding after a blood vessel is injured. Constriction and clotting limit blood loss when a shed part contains blood vessels.
Crab claw autotomy: The shedding of a crab's limb or claw, often at a joint. Crabs can sacrifice a grasping limb during predator attacks or entrapment.
Regeneration cost: The energetic and developmental expense of replacing lost body structures. Rebuilding a shed appendage consumes resources that could support growth or reproduction.
Locomotor trade-off: A compromise in which improving one aspect of movement reduces another. Losing a tail can alter balance, acceleration, or climbing performance.
Regeneration: The biological replacement or regrowth of lost cells, tissues, or body parts. Regrowth can restore appendages sacrificed through autotomy.
Sea star arm autotomy: The release of an arm by a sea star, sometimes followed by regeneration. Some sea stars shed arms as a defense, and certain species can regenerate much of the body from one.