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Comparative Studies on Wet Attaching Abilities of Different Salamander Species

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Abstract

Salamanders have evolved functions of attaching to a variety of surfaces under wet conditions, but racial diversity may cause a difference in attachment behaviors and epidermal characteristics. The sticking and climbing abilities of the Chinese Fire Belly Newt (CFBN), Chinese Warts Triton (CWT), Spotless Stout Newt (SSN), and Chinese Giant Salamander (CGS) on various surfaces were investigated and compared in terms of epidermal morphology, body size, and wettability. The results indicate that the spotless stout newt has an excellent ability for wet attachment, compared to other salamanders under a certain contact case, resulting from its lower mass/body surface area and more visible epidermal structures. Supplementation with moderate water is beneficial for salamander attachment, and the surface roughness in the flood case also promotes the wet attachment. The CFBN has the most hydrophilic epidermis among the samples, where the water droplet quickly spreads over, presenting a completely wetting case. This study offers a comprehensive understanding of the wet attachments and the epidermal characteristics of salamanders, which is meaningful for the application of bioinspired adhesives.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (No. 51675268), Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province of China (Nos. 2108085ME174, 2108085QE228), Natural Science Research Fund of Higher Education of Anhui Province (No. KJ2020A0230), the Open Project of the Key Laboratory of Green Fabrication and Surface Technology of Advanced Metal Materials (No. GFST2021KF05), and the Open Project of the Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Special and Heavy Load Robots (No. TZJQR004-2021).

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China, 51675268, Xiaolei Wang, Natural Science Research Fund of Higher Education of Anhui Province, KJ2020A0230, Meng Li, open project of key laboratory of green fabrication and surface technology of advanced metal materials, GFST2021KF05, Meng Li, open project of Anhui Province Key Laboratory of special and heavy load robot, TZJQR004-2021, Meng Li, Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province of China, 2108085QE228, Meng Li, 2108085ME174, Liping Shi

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Green Fabrication and Surface Technology of Advanced Metal Materials, Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan, 243002, China

    Meng Li & Liping Shi

  2. Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Special and Heavy Load Robot, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan, 243032, China

    Meng Li & Liping Shi

  3. School of Mechanical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan, 243032, China

    Meng Li & Liping Shi

  4. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, China

    Qing Jiao & Xiaolei Wang

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  1. Meng Li
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  2. Qing Jiao
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  3. Liping Shi
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  4. Xiaolei Wang
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Correspondence to Liping Shi or Xiaolei Wang.

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Li, M., Jiao, Q., Shi, L. et al. Comparative Studies on Wet Attaching Abilities of Different Salamander Species. J Bionic Eng 19, 92–102 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42235-021-00128-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42235-021-00128-2

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