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Glite Dictionary
autotomic

autotomic

9.9
Able to drop a body part on purpose to escape a predator
  • adjective
  • /ˌɔːtəˈtɒmɪk/
  • Specialized
: autotómico
  • Some lizards have developed autotomic tails that can detach to evade predators.

Examples

  • The autotomic response allows certain sea stars to escape when threatened by cutting off an arm.

  • Researchers observed autotomic behavior in several species of crustaceans under laboratory conditions.

  • The autotomic lizard can lose its tail to escape predators.

  • Many species exhibit autotomic behavior as a survival strategy.

  • Researchers observed autotomic behavior in several species of crustaceans as a survival mechanism.

  • Some lizards possess autotomic tails that can intentionally detach to evade predators.

  • The autotomic response in certain sea stars allows them to escape by shedding an arm.

Surface Forms

autotomic positive

Morphology

autotomic = autotomy (transparent) = autotomy + ic

Formed by adding the regular adjective-forming suffix '-ic' to the noun 'autotomy', yielding 'relating to autotomy'.

Etymology

Autotomic comes from two parts: auto- meaning 'self', as in automatic, and -tomic meaning 'to cut', as in anatomy. So autotomic describes an animal that can 'cut' off a body part by itself to escape danger.