Mar 24, 2008

Thorny Devil Wicking Feet

The thorny devil (one of my favorite reptiles) has a rare ability. They can drink water through their feet. Materials engineers are studying the thorny devil to see how they can duplicate this ability. It seems that these lizards are able to wick moisture through cracks in the scales of their feet.

My feet (due to being sock-bound for most of my life) are also scaly and cracked. I never imagined there might be an industrial use to my foot ailments, but now I see an opportunity. I plan on heading over to the engineering department of my local university and presenting my feet to the staff and students.

Thanks for the article, Ida.

Photo source: io9.com

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

that is one damn cool reptile. I'm still a beardie girl myself, but thorny devils are mighty cool.

morgan said...

they're the ones that can also squirt blood out of their eyes, too, right?

Anonymous said...

oh, cool! what exactly is that supposed to accomplish, i wonder?

Stacey said...

amazing! someone else who loves the thorny devil!!!