Curved spine deals with tension: sloth

1 of 1 Three Toed Sloth / Pierre Pouli.. / License

The spine of a sloth supports its body weight under tension via curved shape.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Maintain physical integrity >
	Manage structural forces >
	Tension

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Hanging roofs, hanging gardens for urban cooling.

> Visit strategy page

[Collapse all sections] Summary

"The sloth spends most of its life hanging upside-down from branches. Its skeleton therefore has to cope with tension rather than compression. When it leaves its tree, its belly drags on the ground, because its curved spine is designed to support its body weight from below, not from above, and its legs are too weak to support it." (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:37)

About the inspiring organism

Bradypodidae
Bradypodidae

Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Hanging roofs, hanging gardens for urban cooling.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Architecture, engineering

References

Foy, Sally; Oxford Scientific Films. 1982. The Grand Design: Form and Colour in Animals. Lingfield, Surrey, U.K.: BLA Publishing Limited for J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd, Aldine House, London. 238 p.

Curved spine deals with tension: sloth

Content tools

Curator of this page

Comments