A quick and dirty post today: Gecko feet! Up close! Because they are amazing! The tiny hairlike structures on gecko feet, called setae, make for incredible—vertical, overhanging, upside down, you name it—adherence, and as a result are being investigated for development of medical adhesives, sticky tapes, and even a strapless bra design. Go little geckos! Be our inspiration!
And even closer, with a scanning electron microscope:
I may not understand the physics that explains gecko feet's stickiness, but I do understand the beauty of these incredible structures. And for good measure, here are a few geckos (of roughly 1,500 species worldwide) a little less close up:
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| Gargoyle gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus), found on New Caledonia and surrounding islands (photo by Cassi McKee) |
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| Lined leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus lineatus), found on Madagascar (photo by David d'O) |
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| Namib sand gecko (Pachydactylus rangei) (photo by Aftab Uzzaman) |
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| Madagascar giant day gecko (Phelsuma grandis), which grows up to a foot in length (photo by Mark Scherz) |
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| Giant leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus), also Madagascar: this is its defensive posture (photo by Frank Vassen) |
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| Satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus), again: Madagascar |
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| Bavayia jourdani, one of 28 new-to-science geckos in the Bavayia genus of New Caledonia |
And yes, I was thrilled to see a good assortment of beautiful geckos while we were in Madagascar recently. This world really is an amazing place.
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