Rolling locomotion aids escape: mother-of-pearl moth caterpillar

The body of the mother-of-pearl moth caterpillar escapes predators by anchoring its tail, recoiling, and rolling backwards.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

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Biomimetic Application Ideas

Anchor mechanism in loose soi Recoil mechanism for packaging Recoil mechanism for energy storage

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"The mother-of-pearl caterpillar, however, can step on the accelerator. If it meets a predator, it anchors its rear to the ground, recoils rapidly, and then rolls away backward like a bright-green tire. Mouth to tail, it completes around half a dozen revolutions during its escape. By turning into a wheel, the caterpillar moves some 40 times faster than its normal walking pace." (Downer 2002:22)

About the inspiring organism

Pleuroptya ruralis
Pleuroptya ruralis Scopoli 1763

Some organism data provided by: LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Anchor mechanism in loose soil, recoil mechanism for packaging, or for energy storage.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Transport, manufacturing, packaging

References

Downer, J. 2002. Weird Nature: An Astonishing Exploration of Nature's Strangest Behavior. Ontario: Firefly Books.

Rolling locomotion aids escape: mother-of-pearl moth caterpillar

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