Why would Lizards drop their tails?

balam · Why would Lizards drop their tails?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325170604.htm

If this is somewhat true, it could offer insight as to why that Alligator Lizard was found with a full tail (Burned Lands),

I remember Caco mentioning he had only seen one rattler in over 2 years (correct me if I'm wrong).

If there really is a low count population of venomous vipers in the area then the Lizards would have no real need to shed their tails. Smile

-And now I know why Kyle slapped my hand away when I was going for the tail Sad

.... ha ha Smile

-

What

Rattlers generally dont go after lizards. That would be something a gopher or king snake would be doing...

Also, you have to remember that birds are also a predator of lizards and that maybe the reason is that that particular lizard was just lucky. Wink

Steven

Vipers have poor sight dont they ...thought they relied on heat and movement for striking prey. If so...lizards probably scoot right past em. ??

Herpetologyfrk

Matt Kogler

cacoseraph

actually i have seen two more since the one... more than any other year, full stop (they were never super common out there, from my perspective. whether that is the case or not, i don't know... my perspective is quite limited). i think in all the years out there i have seen... seven total. and three were in the last couple months!

i freaking KICKED another southern pacific. that is the only time i just plain left cuz i *knew* i had just used up all my luck for the day! and i had a dog friend with me... and i swear it wanted to eat the rattler! it was a bit hectic for about 10-15 seconds, hehe

and my brother came within three feet of what i think is a different species. the two southern pacifics i saw either had no diamond pattern in an opposite color on a dark brown body or a like, single scale wide light yellow diamond pattern on a very dark brown body. the last rattler we saw had at least a two scale wide light diamond pattern on a dark body... and was more fat/wide than the other two i saw. my rattler observation skills are pretty much nothing, though... and i do tend to get a bit excited when i see them which probably makes me an even worse witness =P

i am more cautious when bushwacking out there, that is for dang sure!

Celeste

Yeah -- I've come within about 18" of rattlers that were coiled under brush before seeing them. It wasn't even *rattling*! I froze *REAL QUICK* and backed off *REAL SLOW*! (I know that's not grammatically correct -- it just sounds good).

Matt Kogler

Hell thats my favorite thing to do.... (No really.... ::lol::) Rolling Eyes

What

Matt Kogler

Never heard of Crot's eating amphibians. However the massasauga are a group I have never owned, or worked with. The Easterns have a range that extends up into Canada, lots of amphibians share their habitat. This is a species you may want to look into for that info..

Celeste

I think this thread has diverged from Gonzo's original question: why would lizards drop their tails?

Usually, it's to escape from or distract predators such as birds or coyotes. If the predator grabs the tail, it breaks off and that's all they get. Or, if the tail breaks off in the fray, it thrashes around thereby distracting the predator while the animal escapes.