Page 160 - Engineering in Nature

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The gecko's toes are covered with mi-
croscopic hairs known as setae 5
(1).These hairs (2) are so tiny that up
to 5,000 could fit on the head of a pin.
And at the end of every seta are also
1,000 hair-like structures (4). These
extremely minute hairs let the animal
cling onto surfaces. The hairs main-
tain this adhesive property up to a
specific angle (a). When the angle
changes, the lizard's foot immediately
lifts off the surface (5).