News Animals

How lizards keep detachable tails from falling off

A complex hierarchical structure helps the lizard prevent accidental amputations

a Schmidt's fringe-fingered lizard crawling on sand

Losing a tail is not ideal, but getting eaten by a predator is even worse. Lizards, like the Schmidt's fringe-fingered lizard shown here, depend on a complex internal structure to help them keep their tails until it’s time to lose them.

John Pereira/inaturalist.org (CC-BY-NC)

By Anna Gibbs

- More than 2 years ago

Lizards are famous for losing their tails, but perhaps the bigger question should be: How do their tails stay on? The answer may lie in the appendage’s internal design.