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Video still showing Madagascar sucker-footed bat / Daniel Riski.. / License
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Video still showing Madagascar sucker-footed bat / Daniel Riski.. / License
Pads on wrists and ankles of bats attach to smooth surfaces via wet adhesion.
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[Collapse all sections] Summary
"The sucker-footed bats of Madagascar, Myzopoda aurita, had
rarely been seen in the wild and were listed as vulnerable to extinction
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But several
years ago, biologists stumbled upon some colonies in a new-growth forest
on the southeastern section of the island, opening the door to studies.
"Daniel
Riskin, a postdoctoral research associate in ecology and evolutionary
biology at Brown University, traveled last summer to Madagascar to study
one of the two species of sucker-footed bats with biologist Paul Racey.
In first-time experiments in the wild, the pair made a surprising
discovery: The bats don’t use suction after all. Instead, they use wet
adhesion, secreting a fluid, possibly sweat, that enables the pads on
the bats’ wrists and ankles to attach to surfaces." (Brown University News 2009)
Excerpt
"Individuals of most bat species hang head-down by their toenails from
rough surfaces, but Madagascar's endemic sucker-footed bat (Myzopoda aurita) clings head-up to smooth leaves using
specialized pads on its wrists and ankles. We investigated the adhesive
performance of 28 individuals and found that attachment performance on
brass was not affected by the presence or absence of a seal around the
pad–surface interface. Furthermore, on smooth acrylic, the wrist pads
were more than nine-fold weaker when lifted perpendicular to the surface
than when pulled parallel to it. The unimportance of a seal and the
difference in strength in those directions on a smooth surface are
characteristic of wet adhesion, but not of suction. Thus, despite its
name, the sucker-footed bat appears to adhere using wet adhesion. We
observed that when wrist pads were pushed anteriorly, they unpeeled
easily from the surface because of deformation of the pads. This most
likely permits rapid detachment during crawling, but would also cause
passive detachment if bats roosted head-down. This provides an
ecomorphological explanation to the head-up roosting behaviour of these
unique bats." (Riskin and Racey 2009:223)
About the inspiring organism
sucker-footed bat
Myzopoda aurita Milne-Edwards and A. Grandidier, 1878
[Sucker-footed bat]
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern
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: Non-toxic adhesives.
Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy:
Experts
References
2009. Sucker-footed bats don’t use suction after all. Brown University News
[Internet],
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Riskin, DK; Racey PA. 2009. How do sucker-footed bats hold on, and why do they roost head-up?. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 99(2): 223-240.
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