He could climb...
he could run...
and you couldn't hurt him because he would heal fast.
But now Wolverine is scared...he is scared of the Kemp’s spiny mice.
Because the Kemp’s spiny mice..
can climb...
can run...
and certainly can heal very fast.
Ashley Seifert and his collaborators at the University of Florida, USA, have shown that two species of African spiny mouse (Acomys kempi and Acomys percivali) are the only mammals known to date that are capable of skin autotomy. That means that these animals can easily shed their skin, usually as a self-defense mechanism trying to elude a predator, and their skin can re-grow later.
In their experiments, the skin of the mice would tear very easily under low tension and hair follicle would regenerate fast in the wounds. What is even more interesting is that the Acomys mice were shown to be able to heal ear holes, where the hair follicles, sebaceous glands, skin and cartilage would be completely regenerated.
If I was Wolverine I would have lost my sleep by now as a new super-hero is discovered!
Further reading:
Ashley W. Seifert, Stephen G. Kiama, Megan G. Seifert, Jacob R. Goheen, Todd M. Palmer, Malcolm Maden. 2012. Skin shedding and tissue regeneration in African spiny mice (Acomys). Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature11499
