Empirical Evidence of Non-Correlation between Tail Loss Frequency and Predation Intensity on Lizards

We examined the widespread assumption that tail loss frequency in lizards is positively correlated with predation intensity. Empirical data from a California locality show that no correlation exists. We suggest that tail loss frequencies are more likely to reflect the inefficiency of predators rather than the intensity of predation. Previous conclusions based on tail loss data regarding the effect of predators on behavioral, population, and community phenomena in lizards are consequently suspect.