Like sheets of paper marked with perforated（穿孔的） lines, gecko（壁虎） tails have unique structural¹ marks that help them sever² their tails to make a quick getaway（起步，逃走）. Though voluntarily shedding a body part in this manner is a well-known phenomenon, research published December 19 in the open access journal PLOS ONE reveals aspects of the process that may have applications for structural engineers making similar, quickly detachable structures. Jan Enghild and colleagues from Aarhus University, Denmark, used advanced bio-imaging techniques to discover that a Tokay gecko sheds its tail along pre-formed "score lines" in specific regions of the tail, which is held together by adhesive³ forces at these lines.

 

The process of separation is independent of protein-cleaving enzymes⁴, and microstructures at the ends of muscle fibers⁵ are most likely involved in the release of the tail. Enghild adds, "Our work has been driven by a curiosity to understand how tail autotomy is facilitated among lizards⁶. In the present work we use a combination of advanced protein- and high-resolution imaging- techniques to address the mechanism⁷ involved in the process."

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