Growing up in a rough world: scaling of frictional adhesion and morphology of the Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko).

ABSTRACT: Many geckos have the remarkable ability to reversibly adhere to surfaces using a hierarchical system that includes both internal and external elements. The vast majority of studies have examined the performance of the adhesive system using adults and engineered materials and substrates (e.g., acrylic glass). Almost nothing is known about how the system changes with body size, nor how these changes would influence the ability to adhere to surfaces in nature. Using Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko), we examined the post-hatching scaling of morphology and frictional adhesive performance in animals ranging from 5 to 125 grams in body mass. We quantified setal density, setal length, and toepad area using SEM. This was then used to estimate the theoretical maximum adhesive force. We tested perfo

SUBMITTER: Cobos AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9663969 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature