Many people, when talking about health, begin to regret that many things need to be abandoned or significantly limited, but they are so accustomed to them. Of course, it’s nice to feel sorry for yourself, but the truth is that it’s impossible to sit on two chairs. In difficult situations, the choice is almost never pleasant, safe or profitable. Therefore, today I want to talk about the principle of the lizard’s tail about the inevitability of painful losses in order to preserve key resources in conditions of danger, stress and forced circumstances. The instinct of self-preservation makes us avoid risks, and the instincts of survival help us take risks. How to find balance?
| Lizard tail principle. |
Conflict of instincts: self-preservation is stronger than reason.
In an ambiguous stressful situation, a conflict often arises between two basic instincts: survival and self-preservation. The instinct of self-preservation is special shape behavior aimed at protecting one’s own life and health.
The instinct of self-preservation- this is an innate form of behavior of living beings in the event of danger, actions to save themselves from this danger. The realization of this instinct is served by such feelings as pain and fear. Pain is usually felt as an abnormal condition of the body that must be eliminated in some way. Fear makes a living being seek refuge. Animals hide and run away, and people try to protect themselves from the source of stress.
But what if this is impossible to do? Unable to run and hide from a stressor that continues to cause damage? Many people resort to various mental defense mechanisms in an attempt to come to terms with their current position. They justify this by saying that “a bad peace is better than a good war”; they try to preserve what they have at any cost. But the unpleasant truth is that such a strategy will not work in a truly serious situation.The instinct of self-preservation makes us avoid risks.
Instinct makes us squeeze in and not let go of what we have under any pretext. It's like an organism that blocks fat burning under stress)). It looks reasonable, but in reality we are like monkeys caught in a banana in such a situation. This is how monkeys are caught in India and South Africa. A jar with a narrow neck is tied to a tree. A banana is placed in a jar. A monkey passing by sees a banana and, putting its paw into the jar, grabs it from the wide space of the jar.
Now the monkey tries to pull the banana out of the jar, but he fails because his narrow throat does not release the paw clutching the banana. The monkey sees the catcher approaching him, wants to run away, but cannot, because he cannot get his paw out of the jar, which is tied to the tree. Although she clearly will not enjoy meeting the catcher, and the banana and the jar are certainly the causes of her troubles, she never wants to part with the banana, which would allow her to remove her paw from the jar. She is literally tied to a banana, which has turned from a potential source of pleasure into a source of suffering. We are like such a monkey. There are a lot of “bananas” in our lives that we are accustomed to or strive for, and although they cause us suffering, we cannot part with them. Some of them are all sorts of habits, such as cigarettes, coffee, tranquilizers, alcohol, fantasies, illusions or other values. These things are not bad in themselves, but in some cases they can be detrimental to our health or happiness. And we, understanding this, nevertheless cannot get rid of them, because we are accustomed to them and consider them “part of ourselves.”
Survival instinct and risk.
The survival instinct is a life impulse that is directly related to the fear of death. Death in this case means everything that is dangerous, that makes us feel weak, the sensations that a crisis provokes and to which we respond with this impulse of libido, what evolutionists would call the feeling of survival. The survival instinct allows one to overcome the instinct of self-preservation in cases where hiding or avoiding a stressor becomes unprofitable. From a survival point of view, it is more profitable to take risks. A feature of the instinct for risky behavior is that it is manifested by a decrease in the instinct of self-preservation, because pushes an individual into dangerous behavior that can lead to injury or even death. Risk behavior is also influenced by culture and social conditions. A person has always existed in a situation of need to demonstrate risky behavior, i.e. making a decision whose consequences are uncertain and often negative or even deadly. The threat of predators natural factors, wars created an almost constant situation of risk. Risk-taking is a fairly stable characteristic of an individual and is associated with such personality traits as impulsiveness, independence, desire for success, and a tendency to dominate.
Throwing away what is necessary for survival.
A classic biological example comes from the mechanism of action of leptin. This hormone regulates metabolism and helped our ancestors survive in severe conditions of calorie deficiency. Unfortunately, modern calorie counting theory does not take this mechanism into account. How did prisoners in concentration camps who received 700 to 800 calories a day manage to survive? If the calorie counting theory is correct, then, according to it, they should have died when all their reserves of stored fat had been used up, that is, after a few months.
Let’s say that with a daily need of 2500 calories, a person consumes exactly this amount of calories over a long period of time. If suddenly this number of calories decreases to 2000, then the body begins to compensate for the missing amount through reserve fat, and, accordingly, weight loss occurs. On the other hand, if the calorie intake is established at the level of 2000 after a previously received 2500, then the body, under the influence of the survival instinct, will quickly adapt to exactly this level of calories. And then the weight loss will stop. But the body is very smart. The survival instinct will prompt him to be even more careful, and this caution will be aimed at creating reserves. If they continue to give him only 2000 calories, well, good! He will reduce his energy needs to 1,700 calories, for example, and store the difference of 300 calories as visceral fat. And here a paradoxical thing happens: although a person eats less (and his body, accordingly, receives fewer calories), he begins to slowly gain weight, storing fat in the liver and mesentery.
In these cases, the body goes into deficit mode to slow down energy expenditure and survive difficult times. It is known that many animals can even hibernate. The deficit regime is an adaptation to times of famine. The body in deficit mode tries in every way to slow down the expenditure of calories. This includes stopping fat burning, slowing down physical activity, reducing motivation and performance, suppressing sexual and reproductive function. This is a shutdown of the thyroid gland and ovaries. Deficit mode is the activation of eating behavior to search for high-calorie foods, turning off saturation and maximizing fat gain.Under stress, leptin helps us survive by turning off what we can do without: the immune system, the reproductive system, the skeletal system, putting the body into deficiency mode. But leptin does not save on the cardiovascular system, and this is understandable: stopping its energy supply will lead to death.
Leptin and the lizard principle.
The hormone leptin teaches us simple wisdom: we need to be able to sacrifice in order to survive. Unwillingness to sacrifice what is important will not give you the opportunity to win in difficult situations. We must be willing to sacrifice our maximalism (all or nothing) for our own salvation. Let's take the example of a lizard. She doesn’t hesitate to leave her tail in the teeth of a predator or in our hands, but she saves herself. It is critically important to learn how to make choices.
Any stressful situation requires at least two options: the worst is to leave everything as it is and wait for the worst, the best is to sacrifice relatively little, preserve yourself, your health and win. \If personal boundaries are inadequate, applying the lizard's tail principle is problematic. Why? If you believe that something is an integral part of your personality, then you cannot sacrifice it. And many people have extremely inflated personal boundaries, which make them very clumsy.
This is the lizard principle: give away what is important in order to keep what is important. The lizard principle is tail (body part) in exchange for life. Preserve the vital, irreplaceable from the replaceable, not necessary for survival. To properly understand this metaphor, let me remind you that it is not so easy for a lizard to shed its tail. Therefore, before doing this, she assesses how great the threat to her life is. The process of dropping the tail is completely regulated by the brain and is not a reflex.
How does this happen?
The lizard's tail is a spine of several zones connected to each other by cartilage, ligaments and muscles. Each zone can be torn. When threatened, the muscles and ligaments in the immediate area contract, tear, and the tail is separated. The severed tail continues to contract and move, thereby diverting attention to itself. And at this time his former owner is running away from danger.
When a lizard grows a new tail, the vertebrae at the site of the tear are not restored, and cartilage forms in their place. Therefore, each time the gap gets higher and higher. The tail of small lizards grows in about a month. For larger ones, this process takes up to one year.
A lizard without a tail is no longer so nimble and fast, it may lose the ability to reproduce, runs and climbs poorly due to the lack of a “rudder”. Water lizards can no longer swim and are forced to change their lifestyle. But the main thing is that in many lizards the tail is used to accumulate fat and nutrients, which means that all their energy is concentrated in the tail. Therefore, after it comes off, the animal may die from exhaustion. Therefore, a rescued lizard often tries to find its tail and eat it in order to restore lost strength.
Conclusion.
Ask yourself how much do you want to survive? Remember the freedom-loving predators who bite off their own legs after falling into a trap. I remember an episode from one film, where the leader of a guilty mafia offers a choice: bite off his finger with his teeth or he will be shot. The offender failed and was killed. Could you?
Lizards are amazing creatures. Only they, and not all of them, are capable of regenerating lost body parts. The most striking example is the tail. This is how a lizard casts its tail, why it does this and why some lizards have two tails, we will tell you today.
The main advantage of a lizard
Lizards simply need a tail. The tail is not just an organ; it performs many vital functions for the lizard.
The presence of a tail turns reptiles into the most mysterious and amazing inhabitants of the planet.
Why do lizards need a tail?
The tail has quite a few purposes. The main purpose of the tail is to participate in the movement of the reptile; it serves as a kind of rudder that allows the lizard to balance when moving and maintain balance relative to the surface on which it moves.
The tail is important for jumping, for example from stone to stone or at heights. In addition, aquatic reptiles would not be able to move at all, since it is the tail that allows them to dive and swim.
Some species of lizards have small, almost invisible Velcro on their tails. They allow the animal to stay on a smooth and slippery surface.
It should be noted that many muscles of the limbs, which are responsible for movement, are attached to the tail.
In addition, the tail is a storehouse of nutrients for the body of every reptile.
The thickness of the tail indicates how healthy the lizard's body is.
The tail is like a mirror of the soul
Scientists have conducted research and found that reptiles use their tails to send certain signs to each other. A certain tail position indicates the age, health, social status or intentions of the animal.
In addition, the tail often reflects the lizard's mood.
The tail plays an important role when reptiles go hunting in search of their future partner, and subsequently, it is used during the mating season.
An individual without a tail does not have the opportunity to contact its relatives.
A lizard without a tail becomes smaller in size, but it is the size of the lizard that distinguishes it in the hierarchy.
I've already grown a little... It is for this reason that lizards that have lost their tail fall out of public life, and do not have the opportunity to apply for the “post” of the leader.
Tailed reptiles, if they notice a disabled person, drive him out of the territory for hunting, and also do not allow them to approach the females.
An irreparable loss?
An amazing feature of the tail is that it periodically falls off. This happens when the lizard, in an attempt to get rid of the pursuit of a predator, squeezes its tail muscles very tightly, and the tail simply falls off.
During overexertion, the muscles of the tail tighten the blood vessels, so there is not even a trace of blood left in the place where the reptile’s tail was.
For some time after the loss, the tail still moves. This helps get rid of the pursuit; the predator is distracted by the rustling of the tail (which is provided by small scales) and forgets about the lizard.
Usually, a lizard's tail takes a long time to grow, so the lizards become very vulnerable.
Sometimes a situation arises that the lizard already intends to shed its tail during the chase, however, it has not fallen off yet. The tail has already broken, which means that a new organ is beginning to grow, since the wound has healed instantly. After some time, lizards develop two identical tails.
Such animals most often live in the wild.
The life of a lizard is both dangerous and difficult. Many animals hunt them and eat them with pleasure, so the long-suffering reptiles have to come up with all sorts of methods of defense. A special color, quick reaction and incredible speed of movement are some of the ways to sneak away and not become someone's lunch. But, if this does not help, then the lizards discard their tail.
However, throwing off the tail is not so easy for a lizard. Therefore, before doing this, she assesses the degree of threat to her life.
Each lizard drops its tail differently. This process is influenced by their size, speed, age and other factors. In particular, the larger or older the animal, and therefore slower, the more tail they lose. However, not every lizard has these abilities, as is commonly believed. This process is not regulated by the lizard's reflexes or instincts. Control comes from the brain, therefore, the lizard first assesses the situation.
The lizard's tail is a spine of several zones connected to each other by cartilage, ligaments and muscles. Each zone has the ability to burst. When threatened, the muscles and ligaments in the immediate area are torn and the tail is separated. Sometimes the tail is torn off more roughly - by breaking the vertebrae, however, in this case it is very difficult for the lizard to restore the loss.
When a muscle ruptures, it contracts on its own. The severed tail also continues to contract and move, thereby diverting attention to itself while the lizard itself runs away from danger.
When the tail grows back, it may have a slightly different color, and also the junction may hurt the eye; it is somewhat narrowed. Nature made sure that the lizard's tail was brighter than the main part of the body. Its color can be red, yellow, lilac, striped, speckled, etc.
The vertebrae at the site of separation are lost forever and cannot be restored, unlike the tail itself; cartilage forms in their place. Therefore, each time the separation occurs higher and higher, i.e. closer to the head, so if such a lizard gets into dangerous situations too often, the matter can end in death. The tail of small lizards grows in about a month. For larger ones - up to one year.
Lizards, having lost their tail, are forced to adapt to a new life. They are no longer so nimble and fast, they lose the ability to swim and produce offspring. The energy of many lizards is located in the tail, because there they tend to accumulate fat and vitamins, so after tearing off the tail, the lizard runs the risk of dying from a lack of nutrients. Therefore, some lizards try to find their tail and eat it to regain their strength.
In this article, you will learn why a lizard drops its tail? Many species of lizards have a defensive reaction such as dropping their tail. With the help of this amazing ability, the reptile manages to free itself and escape.
The animal throws off its tail only in extreme cases, when there is no other option to escape. Those types of lizards that have teeth, claws or shells resort to this method of self-defense in exceptional situations.
Losing a tail saves a lizard from death, but does not bode well for it. Sometimes, after losing this part of the body, the reptile loses the ability to reproduce or its ability to find food is sharply limited.
The tail is an essential part of the lizard's body. She needs it, first of all, in order to maintain balance while walking, running, swimming and climbing. The tail is especially necessary for those species that climb trees, because they use it as a fifth limb. For example, geckos and iguanas have special devices on their tails that they can use to cling to surfaces.
Some lizards lose their ability to swim after losing their tail. In any case, after the tail is discarded, the reptile has to radically change its lifestyle. It must be said that they do not always succeed.
Individuals who have lost their tail find it difficult to maintain a leading position among their peers, as well as find a partner. Tailless lizards can starve because fat sometimes accumulates in this limb, allowing the lizard to survive in times of famine.
But still, when the tail falls off, it plays an invaluable role - it saves the animal’s life. Self-defense, by throwing away the tail, has scientific name"autotomy".
Some lizards separate the entire tail completely, for example, desert individuals; their tail, after dropping, twitches for some time, attracting the attention of a predator. But large and slow species do not cast off the entire tail, but only most of it.
The lizard is such a fascinating living creature that watching it can delight even the most avid exotic lovers. Their characteristic feature is that they are able to restore parts of their body, that is, they are characterized by regeneration. How a lizard casts its tail and whether the lizard's tail grows back, as well as the structure of this part of the body and the reason for this behavior will be discussed below.
Functions of a lizard's tail
The lizard's tail takes over a large number of functions that have a huge impact on the entire body as a whole. It is not only a beautiful part of the body, but also shows the level of pride and dignity of the animal.
The most important is the auxiliary function during the movement of the lizard. It is thanks to the tail that the lizard is able to balance while moving, as well as turn in the direction it needs.
The main effects of the lizard's tail are:
- Provides an auxiliary function during jumping.
- If the lizard is aquatic, the tail helps to dive and also swim in the water.
- Due to the presence of small Velcro located on the tail, the lizard is able to stay on a smooth surface and not slide off it.
- The lizard's tail has a connection with the entire muscular system of the body.
- The tail plays the role of a certain storehouse in the body, in which most of the nutrients are stored. Its size, namely thickness, indicates the health of the pet.
- Reptiles can communicate with each other using their tail, sending them certain signals. By putting its tail in a pose, the lizard warns the opponent of its intentions to attack, or, conversely, communicates friendliness.
- During the mating season, the tail of lizards is a part of the body that attracts the attention of a partner, or partner, and also during the mating process, it has an indispensable auxiliary function.
Is it possible for a lizard to live without a tail?
A lizard without a tail that lives in a terrarium is not an equal individual for its other cohabitants. Because in the absence of this important limb, the lizard becomes significantly smaller in size, which plays a huge role in the world of reptiles. The advantage goes to individuals whose size exceeds all other representatives. Consequently, tailless lizards remain at the bottom of the reptile hierarchy.
That is why, if your pet previously had superiority over its other inhabitants, without a tail the reptile will lose its status, and will also experience persecution from its relatives in the form of not being allowed access to food, water, and even a female.
In nature, there are lizards that have lost the ability to grow a tail over time; an example of such a representative is.
In what cases does a lizard remain without a tail?
Even taking into account the fact that the reptile will experience all kinds of persecution from other representatives, as well as a significant reduction in its size, sometimes there are situations when the lizard throws off its tail. The answer to the question of how a lizard throws its tail is the ability of lizards to strongly compress the muscles located on the tail. It is at this moment that the reset occurs.
In most cases, the animal acts in this way when it is in danger.
The muscles present on the tail have a pinching effect on the blood vessels, as a result of which the tail falls off, and in the place where it joined the body there is no trace or blood left.
What is surprising is that the severed tail of a lizard can still move for some period of time. This ability of the tail distracts the attention of the pursuer, and the lizard can safely hide. At the same time, the reptile prefers to hide and not show itself again until the tail is restored to its original place.
In a home terrarium, tail loss can be caused by the animal being severely frightened or stressed.
The presence of several tails in a lizard
There are times when owners are upset that their exotic pet has become like some kind of fictional fantasy character. The presence of several tails in a reptile can serve as such an expression. This phenomenon has scientific explanation, therefore, is quite normal, and does not mean that the animal is unhealthy or has undergone a mutation.
The fact is that the lizard throws off its tail, and it happens that only part of it falls off, and the rest remains in place. The lizard's body has an instant reaction to the breakdown that has occurred, perceiving it as if the tail had fallen off completely. Accordingly, the reptile begins to grow a new part of its body, while the old tail still remains in place. In the tail of a lizard there are only cartilages, and there are no vertebrae; accordingly, in the regeneration process of this type, the lizard will become the owner of two tails.
It's quite possible to get rid of this appearance lizards. You just need to take the reptile to a veterinarian who can remove its extra limbs. However, it is worth thinking several times about whether it is necessary to interfere with the natural development of the animal, exposing it to unnecessary stress.
Sometimes a reptile may develop not one, but several tails. Then, in order to avoid injury to your pet, as well as to ensure additional safety, it is best to contact a clinic for help, where doctors will remove the animal’s excess tails.
Lizard's help in growing a tail
Will the lizard's tail grow back? Without a doubt! But a reptile grows a tail only if it spends a sufficiently large amount of strength and energy on its regeneration. Consequently, some emaciated individuals may not even survive after dropping their tail, since their body is weakened and they simply do not have enough strength to resume their previous appearance. To help your pet, you should provide it with all the necessary comfortable conditions, as well as a balanced diet. To ensure that relatives in the terrarium do not show aggression towards the tailless lizard, until the tail is restored, it is better to keep it in a separate dwelling.
In most cases, the reptile will restore its previous appearance within 2-3 months. However, if the lizard has not grown its tail after this period, it would be best to consult a veterinarian for advice.
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