Anatomy · Natural history
How an injury can trigger the regrowth of a body part
An octopus can lose part of an arm as it pulls free of a predator. Once it reaches shelter, the missing section may grow back. How long before the octopus can feel with it or use it to grip?
An octopus retreats into a crevice as a grouper approaches. This scene illustrates a possible encounter between predator and prey. © dive.explo360.fr — All rights reserved. Reproduction requires permission.
After a Caribbean sea cucumber expels its intestine, a membrane called the mesentery stays attached to the body wall. A new intestine starts forming along its thickened edge. The parts of the digestive tract that stayed in place help form the new lining.
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