ABC Science (the Australian network, not the American one) is taking a long look at lizards – specifically, the medical information we can get from geckos’ wriggling tails:
Professor Anthony Russell of the University of Calgary in Canada says the new finding could shed light on the functions of the spinal cord and the effects of spinal cord injury.
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Using electromyography (EMG) and high-speed video, they monitored tails from the instant of separation from four specimens of Eublepharis macularius, also known as the leopard gecko.
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Unlike most animals or animal parts moving without the active control of a brain, the gecko tails didn’t simply jerk about in a regular pattern.
“We discovered that the tail has an intricate repertoire of varied and highly complex movements, including acrobatic flips up to three centimetres in height,” says Russell.
From an evolutionary vantage point, rhythmic movements interlaced with sudden jumps and flips enhance unpredictability, further distracting the predator, the researchers write.