Source-linked briefing Science

Amber-Preserved Lizard Tail Reveals Ancient Origins of Tail-Shedding

Amber-Preserved Lizard Tail Reveals Ancient Origins of Tail-Shedding

Scientists describe a lizard tail preserved in 100-million-year-old amber that illuminates the evolution of autotomy—the ability to drop a tail to evade predators. The fossil offers rare, direct evidence of this defense mechanism in deep time.

Original headline

Lizard tail preserved in amber sheds light on a 100-million-year-old defense mechanism