Research
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Highâspeed terrestrial substrate transitions: how a fleeing cursorial day gecko copes with compliance changes that are experienced in nature
Abstract
Animal movement is often largely determined by abiotic conditions of the environment, including substrate properties. While a large body of work has improved our understanding of how different substrate properties can impact locomotor...
Publication · March 02, 2026
Ankle structure of the Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko) and its role in the deployment of the subdigital adhesive system
Abstract
The remarkable ability of geckos to adhere to smooth surfaces is often thought of in terms of external structures, including the branching setae that make contact with the surface producing van der Waals forces. Some geckos also exhibit...
Publication · March 02, 2026
Tail autotomy alters prey capture performance and kinematics, but not success, in banded geckos.
Abstract
Tails are versatile structures with diverse forms and functions across vertebrates. They are involved in almost all behaviors critical to survival including locomotion, feeding, and predator avoidance. Although the tail's role in locomo...
Publication · March 02, 2026
Clinging performance on natural substrates predicts habitat use in anoles and geckos
Abstract
For arboreal lizards, the ability to cling or adhere to the substrate is critical for locomotion during prey capture, predator escape, thermoregulation and social in - teractions. Thus, selection on traits related to clinging is likel...
Publication · March 02, 2026
Ecomechanics and the Rules of Life: a Critical Conduit Between the Physical and Natural Sciences.
Abstract
Nature provides the parameters, or boundaries, within which organisms must cope in order to survive. Therefore, ecological conditions have an unequivocal influence on the ability of organisms to perform the necessary functions for survi...
Publication · March 02, 2026
The evolution of mechanical properties of conifer and angiosperm woods.
Abstract
The material properties of the cells and tissues of an organism dictate, to a very large degree, the ability of the organism to cope with mechanical stress induced by externally applied forces. It is, therefore, critical to understand h...
Publication · March 02, 2026
Growing up in a rough world: scaling of frictional adhesion and morphology of the Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko)
Abstract
Many geckos have the remarkable ability to reversibly adhere to surfaces using a hierarchical system that includes both internal and external elements. The vast majority of studies have examined the performance of the adhesive system us...
Publication · March 02, 2026
How to study a predator that only eats a few meals a year: high-frequency accelerometry to quantify feeding behaviours of rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp.)
Abstract
Background Many snakes are low-energy predators that use crypsis to ambush their prey. Most of these species feed very infrequently, are sensitive to the presence of larger vertebrates, such as humans, and spend large portions of their ...
Publication · March 02, 2026
The tailless gecko gets the worm: prey type alters the effects of caudal autotomy on prey capture and subjugation kinematics
Abstract
Prey capture and subjugation are complex behaviors affected by many factors including physiological and behavioral traits of both the predator and the prey. The western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus) is a small generalist predator t...
Publication · March 02, 2026
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