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goatharper t1_j0knvyk wrote

They stick to walls using many little points of contact. Any one point of contact will not hold them; they need many. So to let go, they just "unstick" one point of contact at a time until their little hands (or feet) don't have enough points of contact to stay stuck.

It's a delicate little dance they do with their muscles, but of course they do it without even thinking about it, just as you manage to stay upright on two feet without thinking about it. Took you a while to learn to do that.

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Foxs-In-A-Trenchcoat t1_j0kwd0k wrote

To elaborate, there is a curving or curling process on gecko's toes/paws. They curl away from the surface to let go.

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mattsslug t1_j0ltnhn wrote

Yup, I have a crested gecko, watching how he releases is quite interesting.

The way his toes curl backwards to release.

He can be stuck to the glass all day sleeping upside down with zero effort, then when he wants to move he just curls those toes and off he goes, it's all so effortless.

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WesternOne9990 t1_j0m306w wrote

Curls his toes and off he goes, what a cute little rhyme about your gecko.

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mattsslug t1_j0m39kr wrote

I'd like to take credit for it.....but I had no idea when typing it that it rhymed.

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enjoysbeerandplants t1_j0n3mch wrote

I have a gecko too, and I find it funny watching him walk or run on a flat surface, because he does it with all his little toes curled up so he doesn't stick.

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dolfijntje t1_j0krljb wrote

how long does it take geckos to learn?

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Barbara_Celarent t1_j0kwwxo wrote

They stick to surfaces as soon as they hatch, so they learn right away.

Source: I have 6 geckos and raised 5 of them from eggs.

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mckulty t1_j0lnmdn wrote

Learning to peel their feet off is a simple coordination programmed in reflex arcs at the spinal cord and probably already developing at hatch-time.

Standing and walking for humans involves the ears and cerebellum and higher functions that take a lot longer to develop.

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DeaddyRuxpin t1_j0lochd wrote

So it’s really very much like humans gripping something. Infants at birth already know how to curl their hand to wrap fingers around an object and grip it. No one had to teach us how to do that and our own learning just refined the process to make it more effective. The core grip coordination knowledge was already present at birth.

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rysto32 t1_j0lbie5 wrote

Well thanks, now I'm thinking about it and I'm stuck in this chair.

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