Mystery #1Tier 2regrowing body parts

How can a lizard drop its tail to escape, then simply grow a brand new one?

A hungry bird grabs a lizard by the tail, and then something astonishing happens. The tail snaps clean off and wriggles about on its own, keeping the bird busy while the lizard darts away unharmed. Weeks later, a brand new tail has grown in its place. How can an animal throw away a body part and simply build another?

A Duvaucel's gecko resting on mossy ground, its short blunt regrown tail clearly different from the rest of its body — Photo: Mike Aviss, Department of Conservation · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Your guess

What do you think a lizard's body can do that lets it replace a whole lost tail?

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