Question

Why does a lizard break its tails?

Answer 1

The breaking of lizard's tail is a defence mechanism which helps the lizard to run away unharmed from the attacker .there is a pre set crack in the lizard's backbone from where the tail comes off.The broken part continuous to turn and twist for a little while for distracting the attacker's attention .the movement lasts till the energy stored in the tail muscles gets exhausted.


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Answer 2

Caudal autotomy in lizards takes two forms. ... In this second type of autotomy the lizard contracts a muscle to fracture a vertebra, rather than break the tail between two vertebrae. Sphincter muscles in the tail then contract around the caudal artery to minimise bleeding.