Spinner, Marlene, Westhoff, Guido and Gorb, Stanislav (2014) Subdigital setae of chameleon feet: Friction-enhancing microstructures for a wide range of substrate roughness. Scientific Reports, 4 . DOI 10.1038/srep05481.

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Hairy adhesive systems of microscopic setae with triangular flattened tips have evolved convergently in spiders, insects and arboreal lizards. The ventral sides of the feet and tails in chameleons are also covered with setae. However, chameleon setae feature strongly elongated narrow spatulae or fibrous tips. The friction enhancing function of these microstructures has so far only been demonstrated in contact with glass spheres. In the present study, the frictional properties of subdigital setae of Chamaeleo calyptratus were measured under normal forces in the physical range on plane substrates having different roughness. We showed that chameleon setae maximize friction on a wide range of substrate roughness. The highest friction was measured on asperities of 1 mm. However, our observations of the climbing ability of Ch. calyptratus on rods of different diameters revealed that also claws and grasping feet are additionally responsible for the force generation on various substrates during locomotion.

Document Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Times Cited: 0 0
Keywords:	Biological physics, Biomechanics, Herpetology, Mechanical properties
Research affiliation:	Kiel University > Kiel Marine Science OceanRep > The Future Ocean - Cluster of Excellence Kiel University
Refereed:	Yes
Open Access Journal?:	Yes
Publisher:	Nature Publishing Group
Projects:	Future Ocean
Date Deposited:	30 Mar 2015 12:46
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2019 09:50
URI:	https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/28239

Actions (login required)

View Item