Page 99 - World of Animals - Deadly Predators

Lizards

“With their immense

slathering jaws, they will

follow in pursuit of a victim,

sneaking up to deliver a

devastating bite”

Komodo dragons
were once thought
to kill their prey with
bacteria-infested
bites, but it’s now
known they are
venomous

Tail © Thinkstock

dropping

One of the most famous defence mechanisms of non-
predatory lizards is a process called autotomy, where
a lizard is able to drop its tail when escaping from a
predator. The detached, often brightly coloured tail,
will continue to wriggle and writhe long after the
escaping lizard has fled, and is intended to distract
the attacker. Most lizards are able to at least partially
regenerate their tails once dropped. The fish scale
gecko employs a similar strategy whereby when
under attack it will shed scales, slipping from the
grasp of its attacker.

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