The behavioral responses of amphibians and reptiles to microgravity on parabolic flights

Wassersug, Richard J.; Roberts, Lesley F.; Gimian, Jenny; Hughes, Elizabeth; Saunders, Ryan A.; Devison, Darren; Woodbury, Jonathan; O’Reilly, James C.

doi:10.1016/j.zool.2005.03.001

Cited by 27 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Finally, the tail was realigned with the longitudinal body axis, which compensated for the initially generated pitch. After a prone posture was attained, geckos began to parachute in the characteristic skydiving posture (20) (Fig. 3d).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tail cycling during free fall of the ''flying gecko'' Ptychozoon kuhli has been associated with changes in posture such as somersaulting (23). Tail motion in lizards has also been observed in microgravity on parabolic flights (20) and in jumps during above-ground acrobatics (24). Lizards appear to be unusual in their ability to perform the change in shape using their relatively large tails.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Active tails enhance arboreal acrobatics in geckos

Jusufi

Goldman

Revzen

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

206

232

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Geckos are nature's elite climbers. Their remarkable climbing feats have been attributed to specialized feet with hairy toes that uncurl and peel in milliseconds. Here, we report that the secret to the gecko's arboreal acrobatics includes an active tail. We examine the tail's role during rapid climbing, aerial descent, and gliding. We show that a gecko's tail functions as an emergency fifth leg to prevent falling during rapid climbing. A response initiated by slipping causes the tail tip to push against the vertical surface, thereby preventing pitch-back of the head and upper body. When pitch-back cannot be prevented, geckos avoid falling by placing their tail in a posture similar to a bicycle's kickstand. Should a gecko fall with its back to the ground, a swing of its tail induces the most rapid, zero-angular momentum air-righting response yet measured. Once righted to a sprawled gliding posture, circular tail movements control yaw and pitch as the gecko descends. Our results suggest that large, active tails can function as effective control appendages. These results have provided biological inspiration for the design of an active tail on a climbing robot, and we anticipate their use in small, unmanned gliding vehicles and multisegment spacecraft.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active tails enhance arboreal acrobatics in geckos

Jusufi

Goldman

Revzen

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

206

232

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Eublepharis was unable to scale the smooth surface inclined at 10 or 308. Wassersug et al (2005) noted that unlike most other squamates, geckos (including primitively padless forms such as Eublepharis) adopt a sky-diving posture in microgravity situations rather than thrashing wildly to seek contact with a surface. This indicates that geckos perceive gravitational loading (or the lack of it) differently from other squamates, a contention reinforced by the observations of Jusufi et al (2008), and that their locomotor apparatus (both anatomical and neurological) reacts in a unique fashion.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new angle on clinging in geckos: incline, not substrate, triggers the deployment of the adhesive system

2009

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Lizards commonly climb in complex three-dimensional habitats, and gekkotans are particularly adept at doing this by using an intricate adhesive system involving setae on the ventral surface of their digits. However, it is not clear whether geckos always deploy their adhesive system, given that doing so may result in decreased (i.e. reduction in speed) locomotor performance. Here, we investigate circumstances under which the adhesive apparatus of clinging geckos becomes operative, and examine the potential tradeoffs between speed and clinging. We quantify locomotor kinematics of a gecko with adhesive capabilities (Tarentola mauritanica) and one without (Eublepharis macularius). Whereas, somewhat unusually, E. macularius did not suffer a decrease in locomotor performance with an increase in incline, T. mauritanica exhibited a significant decrease in speed between the level and a 108 incline. We demonstrate that this results from the combined influence of slope and the deployment of the adhesive system. All individuals kept their digits hyperextended on the level, but three of the six individuals deployed their adhesive system on the 108 incline, and they exhibited the greatest decrease in velocity. The deployment of the adhesive system was dependent on incline, not surface texture (600 grit sandpaper and Plexiglas), despite slippage occurring on the level Plexiglas substrate. Our results highlight the type of sensory feedback (gravity) necessary for deployment of the adhesive system, and the trade-offs associated with adhesion.

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“…But recent data from Bob Full's lab at the University of California, Berkeley, has revealed that, like primates, airborne lizards are likely to use their tails for in-air stabilization and body reorientation. Before 2008, occasional reference was made to the fact that lizards use their tails in midair to influence body movements (e.g., Higham et al 2001;Young et al 2002;Wassersug et al 2005). But in a series of articles over the past several years, Jusufi et al (2008Jusufi et al ( , 2010Jusufi et al ( , 2011 and Libby et al (2012) have used evidence from experiments as well as physical and mathematical models to clearly identify the importance of the lizard tail as an in-air stabilizer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Tail Loss on Stability during Jumping in Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis)

Gillis

Kuo²,

Irschick³

2013

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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Lizards that undergo caudal autotomy experience a variety of consequences, including decreased locomotor performance in a number of cases. One mode of locomotion common to many arboreal lizard species is jumping, and yet little is known about the effects of autotomy on this locomotor mode. In this article we review recent literature demonstrating the importance of the lizard tail as an in-air stabilizer. First, we review work highlighting how a variety of lizards from diverse families can use their tails to control body position in midair. We then move on to cover recent work demonstrating how in at least one species, Anolis carolinensis, tail loss can lead to remarkable instabilities after takeoff during jumping. Such instabilities occur even when animals are jumping toward specific targets both below and above them, although individual variation in the response to tail loss is considerable. Finally, we report results from a study examining whether increased jumping experience after autotomy facilitates the recovery of in-air stability during jumping. Our work suggests it does not, at least not consistently after 5 wk, indicating that any fitness consequences associated with decreased jumping stability are likely to be long term.

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The behavioral responses of amphibians and reptiles to microgravity on parabolic flights

Cited by 27 publications

References 12 publications

Active tails enhance arboreal acrobatics in geckos

Active tails enhance arboreal acrobatics in geckos

A new angle on clinging in geckos: incline, not substrate, triggers the deployment of the adhesive system

The Impact of Tail Loss on Stability during Jumping in Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis)

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