Autotomy

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/autotomy

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the evolutionary convergence?Independently evolved at least nine times across diverse animal lineages
2. What is the primary adaptive function?Defense mechanism involving voluntary shedding of appendages to escape predation
3. How does the shed part distract predators?After the animal drops a tail or limb, the part keeps moving and twitching, which grabs the predator’s attention and lets the animal run to safety.
4. Why can some animals grow back their lost parts?Many animals have special cells called stem cells that rebuild the missing body part. This lets them regain the part’s shape and function after it is lost.

Autotomy: The voluntary detachment of a body part as a defense mechanism against predation.
Convergent Evolution: The independent evolution of similar features in species of different lineages.
Regeneration: The biological process of regrowing lost or damaged tissues, organs, or limbs.