Some young sea spiders can regenerate significant portions of their bottom halves, including muscles, reproductive organs, and the anus, or can function without them, according to a study published on January 23rd in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The ability to regrow body parts is not widely seen, but some species possess this capability. For example, some sea slug heads can regenerate their entire bodies, and sea spiders and other arthropods can regrow parts of their legs. Researchers previously believed that arthropods could only regenerate legs, possibly due to their hard exoskeletons preventing them from regenerating other body parts.
Evolutionary biologist Georg Brenneis of the University of Vienna first discovered that sea spiders (Pycnogonum litorale) might have the ability to perform more complex regenerations when he accidentally injured a young specimen in the lab with forceps. The specimen was still alive despite being injured, so he decided to observe it.
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