Explore relationships

Autotomy

Autotomy ('self-amputation', from the Ancient Greekauto-, "self-" and tome, "severing") is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards an appendage, usually as a self-preservation mechanism to elude a predator's grasp or to distract the predator and thereby allow escape.

Use + to expand a branch. Click a topic name to open its summary.