Sea slugs discovered with ability to self-decapitate and grow new bodies

Tokyo — Self-amputation of body parts is well-documented in the animal kingdom: Geckos shed their tails — still wagging — as a diversion tactic when threatened. Some species of insect will sacrifice an injured leg or let go of a limb to escape a predator. 

But at least two species of sea slug have astonished researchers by taking self-amputation to the extreme: It's been discovered that they can decapitate themselves, jettisoning everything but their heads, including their major body organs.  The odd behavior was spotted by Sayaka Mitoh, a doctoral researcher at Nara Women's University, who saw that a sacoglossan sea slug had separated its own head from its body.