Alligators have the ability to regrow their tails: study Updated Dec 29, 2020; Posted Dec 29, 2020 American Alligators wade in the alligator lagoon at Everglades Alligator Farm in Homestead, Florida, on June 24, 2016. A recent study has found that younger members of this species can actually regrow their tails, making them the largest animals to do so. (Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images Facebook Share Scientists have discovered that alligators have the ability to regenerate their tails, making them the largest animal to do so. National Geographic reports that Kenro Kusumi—a director, associate dean, and professor at Arizona State University’s School of Life Sciences—looked into the matter when he received an alligator tail preserved in ethanol from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The tail appeared to have grown anew despite its severance, inspiring Kusumi to investigate further.