Anole

Predator avoidance and deterrence

Anole tails often have the ability to break off at special segments, which is known as autotomy. The tail continues to wriggle for a period after detaching, attracting the attention of the predator and commonly allowing the anole to escape. The tail is regenerated, but it takes more than two months to complete this process. About two dozen anoles, including almost all members of the latifrons species group, all in the chamaeleonidae species group and the La Palma anole, do not have the ability to autotomize the tail. Like many other reptiles, Anoles can regrow their tail through a process called epimorphic regeneration. During epimorphosis, two structures are formed upon the loss of the tail: the wound epithelium and the blastema. The wound epithelium causes apical thickening and unique expressions of wound keratins, while a proliferation of a group of cells in the wound epithelium and an accumulation of mesenchymal-like cells contribute to the blastema. As the process continues, the blastema forms a cone-like shape, forming the new tail. Thereafter, the cells continue to differentiate, and the wound epithelium thins as the new tail continues to grow.