Scientists-zoologists found that the cochlea for movement on a horizontal surface does not need any mucus: it moves like a caterpillar, then bends, then straightening in turn the parts of its leg – from the tail to the head. And it uses slime as an adhesive, just to move along vertical surfaces, scientists from the University of Charles III in Madrid (Spain) say.
After a special study, a graduate student at Stanford University, Janice Lai, using high resolution video and lasers, to study the movement of the cochlea and slug, found that they really do not need slime when moving on horizontal surfaces.
“We were surprised to find that the main property of mucus is not essential,” says Lai. “The mucus is certainly important, but we found that there is another mechanism that the snail uses to create traction when moving forward.”
And the truth is – how does the snail move? The question is very interesting: the technique (mechanism) of snail movement has long been tried in robotics and in medical instrumentation. An endoscope with remote control, crawling like a snail, would help in the study and diagnosis of diseases of the human cavities. Looking at the moving snail, you can see how the waves pass through her leg – from the tip of her tail to her head. And these waves pass much faster than the snail itself moves.
