Lizards are known to have the ability to grow their tails back after being cut off. However, it seems that they are not the only reptiles to have the ability to do so. Alligators can do the same, apparently.
An interdisciplinary team of scientists using advanced imaging technology have answered the question of whether alligators share any of the same regenerative capabilities as much smaller reptiles. Many kinds of small reptiles, such as lizards, are known to regrow their tails. However, with a potential body length of 14 feet, little was known about whether alligators could possibly regrow their massive tails.
A team of researchers from Arizona State University and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have uncovered that young alligators have the ability to regrow their tails up to three-quarters of a foot -- about 18% of their total body length. They speculate that regrowing their tails gives the alligators a functional advantage in their murky aquatic habitats.
[...]
The researchers hope their findings will help lead to discoveries of new therapeutic approaches to repairing injuries and treating diseases such as arthritis.
Learn more about the study over at ScienceDaily.
Man, I wish that we humans can regrow parts of our body, too.
(Image Credit: Norbert Nagel/ Wikimedia Commons)
Comments (2)
#OscarsSoDisney