A lizard in Argentina set a regrowth record when it repels 6 tails after being injured.
According to New Science, many lizards can regrow their tails after being injured or losing their tails to defend themselves against predators. Tails can fall on their own to a special place in the spine before the threat. The bleeding will stop bleeding quickly, the tail will be cut off, and tail growth will begin. In some cases, the tail is broken but not completely broken, resulting in a new tail with two or three heads.
Researcher Nicolás Pelegrin from the National University of Córdoba in Argentina, who discovered the lizard, said it was the first case of a six-branched tail ever recorded in the world. The black and white lizard of the species Salvator merianae was brought to Pelegrin by environmental staff due to its injuries. “I was surprised to see it. It was the first time I had encountered a lizard with more than three tails,” Pelegrin said.
The lizard had a heavy wound along its tail. The injury can be caused by a sharp object that is not deep enough to cut the tail, but can promote new tail growth at some point on the animal’s spine. While the new tails offer a clear advantage in the event of an attack, they can hamper the lizard’s movement, signaling to mates and reproduction, Pelegrin said.
