Tail Shedding Allows Escape

Biological Strategy

Rodents

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Protect From Animals

Animals–organisms that range from microscopic to larger than a bus–embody a wide variety of harms to living systems, including other animals. They threaten through predation, herbivory, defense, and parasitism, and they compete for resources such as water, nutrients, and space. Any given living organism commonly faces threats from a variety of animals, requiring strategies that effectively defend from each. Trout and other bony fish, for example, escape predators by having scales made of very thin, flake-like pieces of bone covered with slippery mucus. They also have behavioral strategies such as camouflage, fast swimming, and twisting and turning to achieve release from a predator’s grip.

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Mammals

Class Mammalia (“breast”): Bats, cats, whales, horses, humans

Mammals make up less than 1% of all animals on earth, but they include some of the most well-known species. We know first-hand some of the characteristics that make mammals unique, like having hair, being able to sweat, and producing milk through mammary glands. Another critical shared feature is a set of highly-specialized teeth. Unlike sharks or alligators, for example, whose teeth are generally all the same size and shape, mammals have differently shaped teeth in different areas of the jaws to target specific foods or foraging strategies.

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The tails of many rodents assist escape from predators because they can be shed.

Certain species of rodent can also shed their tails. “According to the authoritative mammalian encyclopedia Walker’s mammals of the World (1999), edited by Dr. Ronald M. Nowak, these include deer mice, rock rats, spiny mice, spiny rats, and dassie rats (not to be confused with true dassies, the hyrax subungulates). As with lizards, rodent tail-shedding involves the breaking off of all or part of the tail, allowing the rodent to escape. A partial replacement of the lost tail subsequently develops.” (Shuker 2001:132-133)