Zoology
Fish-scale geckos in the genus Geckolepis are able to lose their skin at the slightest touch.
07.02.2017
Excerpt from LMU press release of February 7, 2017
Gecko with tear-away skin
Many lizards can drop their tails when grabbed, but one group of geckos has gone to particularly extreme lengths to escape predation. Fish-scale geckos in the genus Geckolepis have large scales that tear away with ease, leaving them free to escape whilst the predator is left with a mouth full of scales. Scientists led by Mark D. Scherz (LMU Munich) and Dr. Frank Glaw (Zoologische Staatssammlung München) have now described a new species (Geckolepis megalepis) that is the master of this art, possessing the largest scales of any gecko. PeerJ