Autotomy

noun

1. The spontaneous casting off of a limb or other body part, such as the tail of certain lizards or the claw of a lobster, especially when the organism is injured or under attack.
2. The reflex throwing off of certain parts of the body, us the rays in starfishes and the legs of some arthropods, which do not, as in fission and budding, develop into new individuals. This property may be of use to animals by enabling them to escape from their captors at the expense of only the part seized.
3. spontaneous removal or casting off of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw or a lobster) especially when the organism is injured or under attack.
4. The spontaneous removal of a limb, tail etc, especially by some invertebrates as a self-defense mechanism.
5. spontaneous removal or casting off of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw of a lobster) especially when the organism is injured or under attack