Sticky Toes

How Geckos Defy Gravity

Geckos are renowned for the sticky feet that enable them to climb a variety of surfaces. Their toe pads are covered in millions of small hair-like projections called setae, which are each about 100 μm long and 5 μm in diameter. The setae branch further into hundreds of nano-scale structures that end in tiny discs called spatulae. This multi-scale branching gives gecko feet a very high surface area. Spatulae stick to surfaces via the van der Waals forces that occur between all molecules. Although these forces are individually weak, the high surface area of all the spatulae combined means the forces add up and enable geckos to perform their famous feats. Continue reading at Ask Nature and check out the awesome video below!