Autotomy

Autotomy

Autotomy (from the Greek "auto" = "self-" and "tomy" = "severing") or self amputation is the act whereby an animal severs one or more of its own appendages, [The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.] usually as a self-defense mechanism designed to elude a predator's grasp. The lost body part may be regenerated later.

Reptiles

Geckos, skinks and other lizards that are captured by the tail will shed part of the tail structure and thus be able to flee. The detached tail will continue to wiggle, creating a deceptive sense of continued struggle and attracting the predator's attention away from the fleeing prey animal. The animal can partially regenerate its tail over a period of weeks. The new section will contain cartilage rather than bone, and the skin will have different coloration, typically darker and with little or no pattern.

Autotomy in lizards is enabled by special zones of weakness at regular intervals in the vertebrae below the vent. Essentially, 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 minimize bleeding.

Invertebrates

Other animals, such as octopuses, crabs, brittle stars, lobsters and spiders, can also lose and regenerate appendages when necessary for survival. Autotomy occurs in some kinds of octopus for survival and for reproduction: the specialised reproductive arm (the hectocotylus) detaches from the male during mating and remains within the female's mantle cavity.

Evisceration, the ejection of the internal organs of sea cucumbers when stressed, is also a form of autotomy, and they regenerate the organ(s) lost.

Bees: a special case

The sting of various honey bee species is a different case; the sting apparatus is modified in such a way that it tears cleanly away from the bee's body, and has its own ganglion that keeps the musculature of the sting shafts moving (thus embedding the sting deeper) and the venom sac pumping for several minutes after it detaches. Unlike most cases of autotomy, the bee dies shortly afterwards (they do not grow a new sting apparatus). All species of true honey bees (genus "Apis") have this form of autotomy. No other stinging insect, including yellowjacket wasps and the Mexican honey wasp, have the sting apparatus modified this way, though they may have barbed stings. The sting of a queen honey bee has no barbs, however, and does not autotomize. Further, the 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. The drones die within minutes of mating.

ee also

*Autoamputation

Notes


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • autotomy — n. 1. spontaneous removal or casting off of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw or a lobster) especially when the organism is injured or under attack. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • autotomy — [ô tät′əmē] n. [ AUTO + TOMY] the reflex action by which a leg, claw, tail, etc., as of a lobster, starfish, or lizard, is broken off at a special joint when the part is damaged, seized, etc.: the missing part then regenerates autotomic [ôt΄ə… …   English World dictionary

  • autotomy — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary Date: 1897 reflex separation of a part (as an appendage) from the body ; division of the body into two or more pieces • autotomous adjective • autotomize verb …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • autotomy — n. [Gr. autos, self; tome, a cutting] The act of reflex self mutilation of a part or appendage of various invertebrates, i.e., annelids, cnidarians, crustaceans and insects …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

  • autotomy — autotomic /aw teuh tom ik/, autotomous, adj. /aw tot euh mee/, n., pl. autotomies. 1. Zool. a. separation of a body part. b. self amputation of a damaged or trapped appendage. 2. the performance of surgery upon oneself. [1895 1900; AUTO 1 + TOMY] …   Universalium

  • autotomy — noun spontaneous removal of a limb, tail etc, especially by some invertebrates as a self defense mechanism …   Wiktionary

  • autotomy — The act of casting off a body part as a means of escape; e.g., the limb of a crab or the tail of a lizard. [auto + G. tome, a cutting] * * * au·tot·o·my ȯ tät ə mē n, pl mies reflex separation of a part from the body esp. in an invertebrate …   Medical dictionary

  • autotomy — The voluntary shedding of a limb by snapping it off the base [Ingle, 1983] …   Crustacea glossary

  • autotomy — n. (Zoology) discarding of a damaged or trapped part of body (as in a lizard s tail) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • autotomy — [ɔ: tɒtəmi] noun Zoology the casting off of a part of the body (e.g. the tail of a lizard) by an animal under threat …   English new terms dictionary

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