autotomize , także: autotomise BrE

Second, most Lepidosaurs have the ability to autotomize their tails.

As a defense against predators, they autotomize their tails.

The ability to lose, or autotomize, arms has adaptive significance if it saves a sea star from death.

Unlike many other lizards, this tail does not autotomize and cannot grow back if broken.

The ability to autotomize the tail is another defense that is common among Lepidosaurs.

The sting of a queen honey bee has no barbs, however, and does not autotomize.

Skinks will often autotomize their tails to escape predators.

In response to injury starfish can autotomize damaged appendages.

Like many other lizards, slow worms autotomize, meaning that they have the ability to shed their tails to escape predators.

Many species routinely autotomize and regenerate arms and viscera.

If seized by a predator (or collector), however, it will readily autotomize (detach) its tail.

When approached by a predator it may remain immobile or may flee and is prone to autotomize its tail.

Males will autotomize their tails less readily than will females, likely due to the increased importance of social status for males.

This species is capable of upward burrowing through a sediment layer, even if the animal has to autotomize (detach) the pedicle.

Predators may include fish, kelp dwelling crabs and sea stars, but when disturbed Melibe leonina has the ability to autotomize (shed) its cerata.

It is unknown if they physically destroy and/or consume these appendages or if they use other stimuli to induce the host sea urchins to autotomize.

But, if they are injected with only saline, they rarely autotomize the leg, indicating it is not the physical injection or the ingress of fluid per se that causes autotomy.

Attacks directed at the tail caused the skink to autotomize it and subsequently escape, while attacks directed at the body resulted in a successful predation event (Vitt and Cooper, 1986b).

The potential causes of arm loss are considered and some observations are presented which suggest that the sea star Pycnopodia helianthoides and the crab Oregonia gracilis will attack this feather star and cause it to autotomize arms.

After autotomy and partial regeneration of two limb buds in Uca pugilator (16-mm carapace width), crabs were induced to autotomize two or five additional limbs when the bud of the first walking leg had reached an R value of 10 or 15.

1977); females attending eggs may either retreat or attempt to defend the nest by biting (Tanner 1943, 1957). The skinks readily autotomize their tails if seized by a predator or a collector (Carl 1944, Stebbins 1966, 1972, Vitt et al.

In addition, spiders injected with venom components which cause injected humans to report pain (serotonin, histamine, phospholipase A2 and melittin) autotomize the leg, but if the injections contain venom components which do not cause pain to humans, autotomy does not occur.

The endophallus and cornua portions of the male genitalia of male honey bees (drones) also autotomize during copulation, and form a mating plug, which must be removed by the genitalia of subsequent drones if they are also to mate with the same queen.