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autotomy

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.02 sec.
au·tot·o·my  (ô-tt-m)
n.
The spontaneous casting off of a limb or other body part, such as the tail of certain lizards or the claw of a lobster, especially when the organism is injured or under attack.
auto·tomic (ôt-tmk), autoto·mous adj.
au·toto·mize v.
autotomy [ɔːˈtɒtəmɪ]
n pl -mies
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) the casting off by an animal of a part of its body, to facilitate escape when attacked
autotomic  [ˌɔːtəˈtɒmɪk] adj
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.autotomy - spontaneous removal or casting off of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw of a lobster) especially when the organism is injured or under attackautotomy - spontaneous removal or casting off of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw of a lobster) especially when the organism is injured or under attack
remotion, removal - the act of removing; "he had surgery for the removal of a malignancy"
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Co-author Dr Trish Fleming from the University said that caudal autotomy, or the ability to shed the tail in response to attack, is a major predator escape mechanism in species within 13 of the 20 lizard families.
Gecko's tail an energy powerhouse, say scientists by Asian News International
The crabs were then tested individually for loss or weakness according to the six selected reflexes (loss = 0, weak = 1, strong = 2) (Table 1), and notes were made on autotomy and obvious injuries such as broken legs, cracked carapace, or torn abdomen.
An assessment of discard mortality for two Alaskan crab species, ... by Stoner, Allan W.; Rose, Craig S.; Munk, J. Eric; Hammond, Carwyn F.; Davis, Michael W. / Fishery Bulletin
Chapple DG and Swain R (2002) Distribution of energy reserves in a viviparous skink: Does tail autotomy involve the Loss of lipid stores?
Tail loss in skinks. (journal extracts) by Davidson, Steve / Ecos
 
 
 
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