Ladybird's feet

[LordV]

I'd never noticed the odd feet ladybirds have until someone on Flickr pointed it out on one of my shots :)
Brian V.

click on pic for larger size

http://static.flickr.com/97/218949138_be154beeb8.jpg (http://static.flickr.com/97/218949138_be154beeb8_o.jpg)

[bandit 1]

Hiya Brian,
That's a lovely shot, I seem to remember something from my dim & distant past about those feet being made up from dozens of little suction type cup things, there's technical for ya.
Cheers for now
Mark

[ZekaG]

I've never realized that my self. Pretty cool shot too...

[Nortelbert]

It's so they can climb up surfaces that look smooth to you and me

[Nortelbert]

It's so they can climb up surfaces that look smooth to you and me

Here's more info... http://www.3dham.com/animal/malbleg.html

Yes, it's a little slow at work today :-)

[LordV]

Thanks for the comments and info :)
I did realise they had claws but didn't realise they seem to be on a separate appendage coming out of the top of what would normally be recognised as the foot.
Brian V.

[Nortelbert]

No problem ... now, if you can get a close up of the claw like on that web page, I'd really praise your talents Lord :-)

[bandit 1]

Hiya Brian,
Here's a link to those suction cup thing on Ladybugs feet have a look see.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/members/2001-010/data/presets/preset-3-640x480.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bugscope.itg.uiuc.edu/members/2001-010/&h=480&w=640&sz=28&hl=en&start=10&tbnid=pS5EaA5SGln2TM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dladybug%2Bfeet%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den %26lr%3D%26sa%3DN

[Omri Alon]

They do have interesting feet :) Nice shot :D

[dazzlebea]

I had noticed the funny feet before but I didn't know about the suction cups. Very interesting, how can they make them so small and still function? Air needs to be displaced for suction ???
BTW, I don't ever want to be licked by a moth, that's some tongue!

[Nortelbert]

I had noticed the funny feet before but I didn't know about the suction cups. Very interesting, how can they make them so small and still function? Air needs to be displaced for suction ???
BTW, I don't ever want to be licked by a moth, that's some tongue!

Maybe not air, but many insects and animals can climb up walls and such using Van der Waals forces (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_der_Waals_force#Use_by_animals)

[Heist]

lol electron microscrope! :D

Hiya Brian,
Here's a link to those suction cup thing on Ladybugs feet have a look see.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/members/2001-010/data/presets/preset-3-640x480.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bugscope.itg.uiuc.edu/members/2001-010/&h=480&w=640&sz=28&hl=en&start=10&tbnid=pS5EaA5SGln2TM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dladybug%2Bfeet%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den %26lr%3D%26sa%3DN