A new paw, tail and even head: which animals can regenerate parts of the body

The ability of lizards to grow a new tail in case of loss is a well-known fact. But it turns out that in the animal world there are other species that are capable of regenerating various parts of the body and even the whole organism from its small area. We will talk about the most interesting of them in our review.

Hydratinia

These marine animals of the hydrozoic class lead an immobile life, attaching themselves to the shells of larger marine inhabitants or simply to stones. Hydroctiniums can regenerate lost parts of the body, including the head, if, for example, a predatory fish bites it off.

Axolotl

Axolotl is a larval stage by ambists, which belong to the caudate amphibian. Axolotls have truly amazing abilities. In case of damage, these animals can restore not only lost paws or tail, but also various internal organs and even parts of the brain.

Earthworms

Familiar representatives of annelids can restore a full-fledged organism from the front of the body.

Rats

Small cubs can regenerate damaged tail and limbs. But this is possible only in laboratory conditions when exposed to electric shock, as the American scientist Robert Becker proved in his experiments.

Starfish

Just from one fragment of a starfish (one tentacle) a new individual of full shape and size can form.

Sponges

Truly fantastic ability possess sponges - aquatic invertebrate animals. During the experiments it was found that if the body of the sponge is divided into separate cells (for example, by rubbing it through a sieve) and mix them in water, then after a while the cells begin to come together and join, forming the original organism. Moreover, scientists conducted this experiment with three different types of sponges, and the cells of each species found each other and connected to three different organisms.

Hydras

These aquatic invertebrates have abilities similar to sponges: they can restore the whole organism from a solution of individual cells.

Of course, such superpowers of some living organisms are of great interest to scientists. And some even hope that doctors, having fully understood the mechanism of regeneration, will be able to apply this technology to the human body.