Plural of autotomy; multiple instances or examples of self-amputation or self-detachment in organisms.
From Greek 'auto-' (self) + 'tome' (cut), pluralized with '-ies'. Biological terminology, the plural form of autotomy used in scientific discussions.
Different animals practice autotomy in wildly different ways—some sea stars shed arms, some insects drop legs, and some crabs abandon their claws. Scientists studying autotomies across species discovered that the evolutionary payoff of escape is worth the cost of losing body parts.
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