Yeah, it's a really cool strategy to fending off predators! Loosing their tail in order to get away from a predator is also a nice adaptation, but it seems a lot more costly in terms of how much energy is used per escape. I wonder how long it takes to regrow the tail on average.
You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
Definitely more costly in terms of energy. Lizards store fat at the base of their tail which is an important source of energy so I imagine it is a last resort mechanism to drop the tail. I did a quick search, because I had no idea, and it can take 3 months or as much as 2 years for a lizard to grow their tail back. I certainly see why shooting blood is much more efficient.
Oh, it is even most costly than I had anticipated. If they are only able do do it (on average) once a year or so, then it must really be a mechanism that only triggers in the event of almost certain death. Now I feed bad for all the lizards who lost their tails due to small children wanting to see for themselves!
Hahah, indeed!