The fascinating science behind lizards shedding their tails and growing them back

Lizards are some of the most remarkable creatures in the animal world. Fast, colourful, and surprisingly clever, they have a range of survival skills that often go unnoticed. One of the most fascinating is what happens when a lizard loses its tail. Many people have seen a lizard’s tail continue to wriggle even after it has fallen to the ground. At first, it may seem strange or even unsettling. But this is not just a random quirk of nature, the tail’s movement is a carefully evolved survival strategy that gives the lizard a crucial chance to escape danger. The secret lies in the way a lizard’s body is designed. The tail can move independently for a short time after detachment because it is controlled by nerves located within the tail itself, not by the brain. This means the tail has a t