Book 11, Question 16
Why Do Lizards Drop Their Tails?
Many lizards drop their tails on purpose to escape! The tail breaks off at a weak spot, and the piece keeps wiggling for a while. That distracts a predator while the lizard runs to safety.
More fun facts
- Geckos, skinks and many other small lizards can drop their own tails when a predator attacks.
- Tails break off at special weak spots, not at random places.
- The lizard squeezes its muscles to help the tail snap off.
- A dropped tail can wriggle for up to half an hour.
- The wriggling tail distracts the predator while the lizard escapes.
- Fossils show some reptiles were dropping their tails to escape predators long ago.
Sources: National Geographic, National Geographic, National Geographic
Questions kids ask
Does it hurt a lizard to lose its tail?
The lizard drops it on purpose by squeezing its muscles, at special weak spots made for breaking.