Lizards have been shedding tails to stay safe for 99 million years, Israeli research finds

A tiny piece of amber from Myanmar, held at Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, has revealed that lizards have been shedding their tails to escape predators for 99 million years. Micro-CT scanning confirmed a deliberate, clean break with muscle rosettes identical to those in living lizards. The findings were published in Palaeontologia Electronica. The fossil confirms that this escape tactic has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 100 million years. The research was led by PhD candidate Dolev Fabrikant, with scans by Ahmed Nasser of the Volcani Institute and co-author Apostolos Christopoulos of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

A tiny piece of amber from Myanmar, housed in Tel Aviv University's Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, has revealed that lizards have been shedding their tails to escape danger for 99 million years. The 18-millimeter-long amber fragment was initially thought to contain a twig or insect part, but PhD candidate Dolev Fabrikant spotted tiny overlapping scales under magnification. Advanced micro-CT scanning by Ahmed Nasser of the Agriculture Ministry's Volcani Institute produced 3D X-ray reconstructions showing a perfectly preserved, symmetrical ring of tissue at the detachment point, mirroring the exact muscle rosettes seen in living lizards that deliberately sever their tails. The clean break lacked crushing patterns typical of accidental injuries, confirming a deliberate release. The findings have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Palaeontologia Electronica. Co-author Apostolos Christopoulos of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens noted that while the isolated tail cannot confirm the exact lizard species, the behavioral evidence is unequivocal. The fossil confirms that this escape tactic has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 100 million years.