Israeli researchers find 99-million-year-old lizard tail in amber, revealing ancient escape tactic
A preserved tail in amber shows that lizards have been shedding to evade predators since the Cretaceous period.
What to know
- A 99-million-year-old lizard tail preserved in amber provides the earliest direct fossil evidence that tail-shedding as a predator defense mechanism originated in the Cretaceous period.
- The preserved tail shows the mechanism still used by living lizards today: detached tails continue to wriggle, distracting predators while the animal escapes.
- The discovery, made by a Tel Aviv University student, resolves a longstanding question about when this widespread defense behavior first evolved in lizards.
“A lizard making a dramatic escape, leaving its tail wriggling behind as it darts to safety, is an image familiar to many.”
Phys.org · Phys.org ↗ · Oct 26, 12:40 PM
Tel Aviv University researcher student researcher
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articles
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Research clarifies origins of widespread lizard defense behavior
Phys.org reports that while tail-shedding is one of the most widespread defenses among living lizards, tracing its evolutionary origins has been difficult. The amber discovery provides a direct answer to when this escape tactic first arose, filling a gap in understanding lizard evolution.
“Tail-shedding is one of the most widespread defenses against predators among living lizards, yet tracing the origins of this extraordinary ability has proved to be surprisingly difficult.”
— Phys.org -
first by Mirage News, 13d ago · also The Media Line, Haaretz, The Times of India, EurekAlert!, IFLScience, Nautilus
8 more headlines
- A Lizard’s 99-Million-Year-Old Escape Trick Emerges From Amber in Israeli Study The Media Line · 13d ago
- Lizard's Secret of Defense Preserved in 100-Million-Year-Old Amber Haaretz · 13d ago
- A 99-million-year-old lizard tail found in Myanmar amber offers the first direct fossil evidence of ancient reptiles shedding their tails The Times of India · 12d ago
- Lizard tail preserved in amber sheds light on a 100-million-year-old defense mechanism Phys.org · 12d ago
- A 99-million-year-old Lizard tail found trapped in Amber reveals a remarkable escape trick still used by... Moneycontrol.com · 12d ago
- Shed Tail Of An Ancient Lizard Preserved In Fossilized Amber From 100 Million Years Ago IFLScience · 12d ago
- A 99-million-year-old lizard tail found in Myanmar amber offers the first direct fossil evidence of ancie The Times of India · 12d ago
- Behold a Prehistoric Lizard Tail Trapped in Amber Nautilus · 10d ago
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Tel Aviv University student discovers 99-million-year-old lizard tail in amber
A Tel Aviv University student found a lizard tail preserved in a tiny piece of amber, providing direct fossil evidence of an ancient defense mechanism. The preserved tail shows that tail-shedding for predator evasion dates back at least 99 million years to the Cretaceous period.
“lizard tails keep wriggling long after detachment, distracting predators while the animal escapes…”
— Times of Israel · source -
2 outlets Lizards have been shedding tails to stay safe for 99 million years, Israeli research finds
first by The Times of Israel, 14d ago · also Times of Israel
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1 outlet What Was Hidden Inside This 99-Million-Year-Old Piece of Amber Is Something Lizards Still Do Today
first by The Daily Galaxy, 14d ago
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