The natural process of hair or feathers falling out or being shed by an animal's own body, especially as a stress response or defense mechanism.
From 'auto-' (self) and 'epilation' (from Latin 'e-' out, and 'pilus' hair). This biological term describes hair loss initiated by the organism itself.
Some animals like geckos and certain lizards practice autoepilation as an escape trick—they shed their tails or fur to flee predators, and the body part that comes off keeps wiggling to distract the attacker!
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