While many species of lizards are known for losing their tails when threatened by a predator, a discovery has revealed that geckos have more inbuilt abilities to avoid being captured. A Madagascan lizard was discovered to have the uncanny ability to shed its skin at the slightest touch.

The gecko was discovered to have huge scales, according to the Daily Mail. The larger than normal scales help the gecko by having them pull back away from its skin, should a predator try to hold it down. The remarkable scales can tear away from the gecko leaving its pinkish flesh exposed.

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Scientists have named the gecko Geckolepis megalepis. The scales of this newly discovered species is said to be the largest of any lizard species. Researchers say the scales are especially designed for tearing away.

The gecko has also been referred to as the fish scale gecko. The scales of the newly discovered species are connected by very narrow tissue that is capable of parting with ease. Beneath the scales exists what researchers have defined as a "splitting zone" which, when magnified, resembles perforated paper, Live Science reported.

Researchers claim that while other lizards shed their skin in self-defense, the Geckolepis species is capable of doing so very quickly and at the slightest agitation. Another fact discovered is that while other geckos take time to grow back their skin, Geckolepis can grow back its scales within weeks.

The ability of the geckos to lose their scales has posed a challenge to scientists who were keen to study the species. Researchers used cotton wool to catch the gecko to prevent them from losing all their scales.

Lead researcher of the study, Mark Scherz at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich,  said the species was a "nightmare to identify" adding that scientists had to think of unique ways to capture and identify them.