Regeneration

Are you ready to have your minds blown Defenders? Well what if I told you a story...about someone who lost both their arms in an accident. Then, as they were healing and recovering...both arms GREW BACK?!? To make things even CRAZIER...both the arms that came off, grew into full bodies of their own! Sounds like crazy science fiction, right? In the world of sea stars and other animals that can regenerate, this is actually science FACT! That's right defenders, some animals have the amazing ability to regenerate, and grow back a lost tail or limb, or even more. In the most common ways, EVERY living creature can regenerate, including microscopic organisms and bacteria, as well as us humans. I mean...what happens when you cut your fingernails...they grow back! It may not seem like a big deal to us, but that really is a form of regeneration - our cells are renewing and restoring the "missing" part of our body as time goes on. While we cannot regenerate really important things, like a whole arm or leg...there are actually some animals that do, so here is a little list of a few of the animals with powerful regeneration traits

• Sea stars can regrow lost arms over a long period of time, and it's even possible for the lost arm to grow itself into a complete new sea star!
• Many geckos, like the Leopard Gecko and Dwarf Yellow-Headed Gecko, can release their tail to get away from predators at the last moment..and over time these tails can regenerate so they can use that defense mechanism again.
• The same way a dog sheds its fur and grows back, sharks can do the same...with their teeth! Some sharks can shed over 20,000 to 30,000 teeth in their lifetime, regenerating new teeth to replace the ones that fall out.
• Newts & Salamanders can regenerate their limbs fully functionally if lost, and some species like the Axolotl can even regenerate parts of their brain and heart!
• The age old saying is true - when a planarian flatworm is split in two, both halves will regenerate into a new entire worm.