Animals that Regenerate
Many animals can regenerate-that is, regrow or grow new parts of their bodies to replace those that have been damaged. Here are a few of these amazing creatures.
Lizards who lose all or part of their tails can grow new ones. This is a good escape technique. A lost tail will continue to wiggle, which might distract the predator and give the lizard a chance to escape. Most lizards will have regrown their tail within nine months.
Planarians are flat worms. If cut into pieces, each piece can grow into a new worm.
Sea cucumbers have bodies that can grow to be three feet long. If cut into pieces, each one can become a new sea cucumber.
Sharks continually replace lost teeth. A shark may grow 24,000 teeth in a lifetime.
Spiders can regrow missing legs or parts of legs.
Sponges can be divided. In that case, the cells of the sponge will regrow and combine exactly as before.
Starfish that lose arms can grow new ones; sometimes an entire animal can grow from a single lost arm.