Skin exhibits low friction: sandfish skink

1 of 1 Sandfish / Ltshears / License

Skin of the sandfish skink exhibits abrasion resistance and low friction when moving through sand due to proteinaceous scales.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Maintain physical integrity >
	Manage structural forces >
	Mechanical wear

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Industrial equipment that needs little or no lubricating oils.

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"The sandfish is a lizard having the remarkable ability to move in desert sand in a swimming-like fashion. The most outstanding adaptations to this mode of life are the low friction behaviour and the extensive abrasion resistance of the sandfish skin against sand, outperforming even steel. We investigated the topography, the composition and the mechanical properties of sandfish scales. These consist of glycosylated keratins with high amount of sulphur but no hard inorganic material, such as licates or lime." (Baumgartner 2007:1)

About the inspiring organism

Scincus scincus
Scincus scincus LINNAEUS 1758
[Sandfish skink]

Some organism data provided by: TIGR Reptile Database
Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Industrial equipment that needs little or no lubricating oils.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Industrial equipment

References

Baumgartner, Werner; Saxe, Friederike; Weth, Agnes; Hajas, David; Sigumonrong, Darwin; Emmerlich, Jens; Singheiser, Martin; Bohme, Wolfgang; Schneider, Jochen M. 2007. The Sandfish's Skin: Morphology, Chemistry and Reconstruction. Journal of Bionic Engineering. 4(1): 1-9.

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