The legs of insects end in claws, which help them to hold on a variety of surfaces. These claws will usually take the bumps on rough surfaces. The surfaces seem to be absolutely smooth, actually have a lot of microscopic bumps and grooves. They also serve as points of support for tiny claws.
But the flies on the tips of the legs have special pads. They are covered with hairs that end with the thickened ends. I used to think that this sucker to hold on smooth surfaces. But careful observation using a microscope with a thousandfold increase showed that these pads are not suckers, and glands that produce fluid containing sugar and fat. With this liquid fly sticks to smooth surfaces and held in it.
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Fly foot | Fly on the wall |
And like a fly off the foot from the surface?
It turned out that the fly uses for this already four way! However, the principle of operation of all four methods is the same: fly foot doesn't come off perpendicular to the surface and exfoliate at an angle lower than 90 degrees. In this case, the resistance to peeling at times less, as this pads behind the surface in small areas, row by row, and not simultaneously over the entire area. If you had to deal with tape, then well be able to present it to remove it step by step easy, but to tear perpendicular to the surface is almost impossible.