Pressure provides structural support: blackback land crab

1 of 1 Black-back land crab (Gecarcinus lateralis) / Hans Hillewa.. / License

The body of the blackback land crab functions during exoskeletal molt using both gas and liquid pressure, or a pneumo-hydrostatic skeleton.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Maintain physical integrity >
	Manage structural forces >
	Compression

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Hydrostatic skeletal support.

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"Here we show that whenever its exoskeleton is shed, the blackback land crab Gecarcinus lateralis relies on an unconventional type of hydrostatic skeleton that uses both gas and liquid (a 'pneumo-hydrostat'). To our knowledge, this is the first experimental evidence for a locomotor skeleton that depends on a gas…The aquatic blue crab Callinectes sapidus maintains mobility by switching to a hydrostatic skeleton ¹⁰ — a fluid-based skeleton that is common in soft-bodied invertebrates ¹¹. Hydrostatic skeletons are arranged so that the force of muscle contraction is transmitted by an essentially incompressible aqueous fluid ^11–13. Muscle contraction increases the pressure in the fluid, causing the deformations or stiffening required for support, movement and locomotion." (Taylor and Kier 2006:1005)

About the inspiring organism

blackback land crab
Gecarcinus lateralis (Freminville, 1835)
[Blackback land crab]

IUCN Red List Status: Unknown

Some organism data provided by: ITIS: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Hydrostatic skeletal support.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Construction, packaging, transportation

Experts

The Kier Lab
William Kier
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

References

Taylor, J. R. A.; Kier, W. M. 2006. A pneumo-hydrostatic skeleton in land crabs. Nature. 440(7087): 1005.

Pressure provides structural support: blackback land crab

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