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collections

Eefje van der Kaaden: Favorites Edit title

Profile PhotoEefje van der KaadenFebruary 3, 2016
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strategy

Walls keep insect feet from stickingpitcher plants

The internal walls of pitcher plants prevent insects from escaping by clogging their feet with a flaky, waxy substance and being rough.

Profile PhotoAskNature Team
Capture, absorb, or filter organisms
strategy

Hairs cause loss of footingmarsh pitchers

The leaves of marsh pitchers guide insects into a water trap via long, slippery hairs.

Profile PhotoAskNature Team
Capture, absorb, or filter organisms
strategy

Hooks adhere to woolly coatsburdock

The calyx of the burdock attach to the woolly animal coats via scales tipped by incurved hooks.

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Attach temporarilyDistribute solids
strategy

Sticky hairs capture insectsRoridula plant

Sticky secretions from leaf hairs of Roridula plants help capture insect prey via a multi-step adhesive capture process.

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Attach permanentlyCapture, absorb, or filter organisms
strategy

Light helps capture insectsglow worms

Special organs in glow worms help lure insects to their sticky silk threads using bioluminescence.

Profile PhotoAskNature Team
Capture, absorb, or filter organismsSend light signals in the visible spectrumTransform radiant energy (light)
strategy

Attachments cling to intestinal wallpork tapeworm

The headlike segment of a pork tapeworm attaches to a host's intestinal wall using suckers and sometimes hooks.

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Attach permanently
strategy

Durable adhesive traps preyflypaper plant

Traps of the flypaper plant capture prey via a super sticky, superbly water repellant, long lasting, adhesive.

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Attach permanentlyAttach temporarily
strategy

Sperm cap physically attachessquids

Spermatophore of squid attaches for evagination using a spiral filament anchor and perforation.

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Attach permanentlyDistribute energy
strategy

Detachable bristles immobilize antsPolyxenid millipede

Caudal tufts of bristles on the Polyxenid millipede immobilize predators (ants) because the detachable bristles have grappling hooks on the end and barbs along the shaft that promote entangling.

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Attach permanentlyCapture, absorb, or filter organismsProtect from animals
strategy

Adhering to multiple substratesblackberry

Spines of blackberries adhere to multiple substrates by having a sharp, backward-pointed structure.

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Attach temporarilyMove in/on solids
strategy

Feather parts reattachbirds

Feather filaments of birds connect to each other with interlocking hooks.

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Attach temporarily
strategy

Suction used to attach to preylamprey

The jawless mouth of a lamprey attaches to prey using suction.

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Attach temporarily
strategy

Optical illusion may attract insectstitan arum

The spathe of the titan arum may attract insects by creating an optical illusion of radiating bright light, using a delicate shading of red pigment that turns to white at the very bottom.

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Capture, absorb, or filter organisms
strategy

Tentacles catapult insectssouthern Australian sundew

Snap-tentacles on leaf of southern Australian sundew capture ground prey by catapulting them to their center via a touch-sensitive head.

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Capture, absorb, or filter organisms
strategy

Leaf surface traps bed bugskidney bean

Trichome structures on surface of leaves of kidney bean plants trap bed bugs by having stiff tips that impale mechanically vulnerable locations on the bugs' legs.

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Capture, absorb, or filter organisms
strategy

Leaves rapidly snap shutVenus flytrap

The leaves of the Venus flytrap snap shut and trap prey within milliseconds by turning physical signals into electrical signals.

Profile PhotoAlexandra Ralevski
Capture, absorb, or filter organismsSense touch and mechanical forces in a living system
strategy

Buckling valve sucks in preybladderwort

Tiny transparent capsules found on bladderworts trap small prey via a resettable, vacuum-driven valve mechanism.

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Capture, absorb, or filter organisms
Profile Photo
Contributed by Eefje van der Kaaden
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