Autotomy (Noun)
Meaning
Spontaneous removal or casting off of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw of a lobster) especially when the organism is injured or under attack.
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- Lizards have an extraordinary defense mechanism known as autotomy, where they can spontaneously shed their tail as a distraction to predators, allowing them to escape unharmed.
- Autotomy in certain species of lobsters enables them to release one of their claws when under attack by a predator, allowing the lobster to flee.
- When threatened, the skink performs autotomy by shedding its tail and replacing it with a new one over time.
- Scientists studying a rare species of gecko observed the occurrence of autotomy, where the geckos sacrifice their tails when evading predators.
- Autotomy plays a significant role in the defense mechanisms of certain crayfish species, which break off a claw or an entire leg as a decoy to confuse and distract predators.