- New research shows that young crocodiles are able to recover large portions of their tail if they lose it to a predator or other threat.
- This finding is surprising, as some species of lizard are known to have regenerative abilities but American crocodiles were not thought to have that ability.
- The discovery was made almost entirely by accident when researchers found the remains of an alligator that had partially regenerated the tail.
Crocodiles are amazing creatures for so many reasons. They are largely living dinosaurs, as they have not largely evolved for millions of years. They’re also very quick to consider their size and the fun of something weird, and they’re incredibly skilled as fun predators. With all of that in mind, and with so much research focused on them over the years, you might think there’s not much left to learn about the creatures. Well, you would be wrong.
In a new research paper published in Scientific Reports, scientists point out that young American crocodiles appear to have the ability to regenerate parts of their tails if they are separated by a predator or as a result of another type of injury. This is an amazing discovery that reveals that even some of the best places on the planet may have some mysteries to reveal.
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Arm regrowth is something that is not uncommon in the world of reptiles. Many lizards have less capacity than recovering lost limbs. It is a valuable tool when escaping predators, and creatures such as geckos can retrieve multiple tails, even regenerating the spine that extends into the tail, and can make them in as little as a month.
However, it is thought that the ability to restore organs was something that was reserved for much smaller species. American crocodiles are a very large creature and even as a juvenile, they are usually larger than the known types of berries that have the ability to regain their limbs. However, after sending a crocodile tail to a team of researchers at Arizona State University, a team of scientists were able to discover that its tip had been recovered.
As is often the case with retracted limbs, the tail became slightly colored and its blades were much smaller than they should have been, based on the age of the animal from which it came. Using an x-ray scan and an MRI device to get an inside view of the tail structure before inserting themselves open, the researchers were able to find out that the tail had been reconstructed.
“We saw a lot of similarities between regenerated alligator tails and lizard tails, including cartilaginous structure, scale pattern, and color. We have also seen regrowth of peripheral nerves and blood vessels, ”Cindy Xu, lead author of the study, said in a statement.
Mike Wehner has been reporting on technology and video games for the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones, and the future of tech. Mike was most recently a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, and has appeared in USA Today, Time.com, and in countless web and print outlets. His love of narrating only second place on his game thesis.