Sucker Shapes, Skeletons, and Bioinspiration: How Hard and Soft Tissue Morphology Generates Adhesive Performance in Waterfall Climbing Goby Fishes.

ABSTRACT: Many teleost fish, such as gobies, have fused their paired pelvic fins into an adhesive disc. Gobies can use their pelvic suckers to generate passive adhesive forces (as in engineered suction cups), and different species exhibit a range of adhesive performance, with some even able to climb waterfalls. Previous studies have documented that, in the Hawaiian Islands, species capable of climbing higher waterfalls produce the highest passive pull-off forces, and species found at higher elevation sites are likely to have more rounded suction discs than those found in the lowest stream segments. Morphology of the pelvic girdle also varies between species, with more robust skeletons in taxa with superior passive adhesion. To investigate what factors impact the passive adhesive performance of water

SUBMITTER: Palecek AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9617214 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature