The Novel Mechanical Property of Tongue of a Woodpecker

doi:10.1016/S1672-6529(08)60126-2

J4 ›› 2009, Vol. 6 ›› Issue (3): 214-218.doi: 10.1016/S1672-6529(08)60126-2

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The Novel Mechanical Property of Tongue of a Woodpecker

P Zhou¹, X Q Kong¹, C W Wu¹| Z Chen^1,2

1. National Key Laboratory for Structural Analysis of Industrial Equipment, Dalian University of Technology,
Dalian 116024, P. R. China
2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-2200, USA

Online:2009-09-30
Contact: C W Wu cwwu@dlut.edu.cn E-mail:cwwu@dlut.edu.cn
About author:C W Wu cwwu@dlut.edu.cn

Abstract

Abstract:

Biomaterials such as bone, teeth, nacre and silk are known to have superior mechanical properties due to their specific nanocomposite structures. Here we report that the woodpecker’s tongue exhibits a novel strength and flexibility due to its special composite micro/nanostructure. The tongue consists of a flexible cartilage-and-bone skeleton covered with a thin layer tissue of high strength and elasticity. At the interface between the cartilage-and-bone skeleton and the tissue layer, there is a hierarchical fiber-typed connection. It is this special design of the tongue that makes the woodpeckers efficient in catching the insects inside trees. The special micro/nanostructures of the woodpecker’s tongue show us a potential method to enhance the interfacial connection between soft and hard material layers for bio-inspired composite system designs.

Key words: woodpecker, hyoid cartilage, multilevel structure, tensile strength

P Zhou, X Q Kong, C W Wu, Z Chen. The Novel Mechanical Property of Tongue of a Woodpecker[J].J4, 2009, 6(3): 214-218.

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