From Sam McGinnis
Katia Moskvitch’s interview with biologist Michael Levin begins with an error: lizards cannot regenerate lost limbs as claimed (31 May, p 30).
Some can grow a pseudo-tail segment if the tail’s end portion is broken off. It contains no vertebrae as the original did, but instead has a fibrocartilage rod for support and is embossed with a pattern resembling scales.
It is moved primarily by flexing the muscles remaining in the original tail base and thus works similarly to a prosthesis for people who have lost part of their arm or leg.
Manteca, California, US
co-author, Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California
