1 December 2020.
According to scientists in a recent study it has been found that young alligators have the ability to regrow their tails up to three-quarters of a foot — about 18 percent of their total body length. This ability to regrow tails gives the alligators a functional advantage in their murky aquatic habitats.
Highlights of the study:
- A team of scientists from Arizona State University and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries used advanced imaging techniques together with time-tested methods of studying anatomy and tissue organization to find that the alligators’ regrown tails had a central cartilage skeleton without any bone, exhibiting features of both regeneration and wound repair.
- According to the researchers understanding these limitations may help in developing regenerative therapies in humans.
About Alligators
- An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator and the Chinese alligator native to United States, México and China.
- Alligators are considered an important species for maintaining ecological diversity in wetlands, as their holes provide habitat for other animals during drought.
Conservation status of Alligators
- The Chinese Alligator are under Critically Endangered category.
- They were last assessed in 2017.
- The American Alligators are under Least Concerned category. They were last assessed in 1996.