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The Royal Society, Interface Focus, 1(5), p. 20140050-20140050

DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2014.0050

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Unveiling the morphology of the acetabulum in octopus suckers and its role in attachment

Journal article published in 2014 by Francesca Tramacere, Nicola M. Pugno, Michael J. Kuba, Barbara Mazzolai ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

In recent years, the attachment mechanism of the octopus sucker has attracted the interest of scientists from different research areas, including biology, engineering, medicine and robotics. From a technological perspective, the main goal is to identify the underlying mechanisms involved in sucker attachment for use in the development of new generations of artificial devices and materials. Recently, the understanding of the morphology of the sucker has been significantly improved; however, the mechanisms that allow attachment remain largely unknown. In this work, we present new anatomical findings: specifically, a protuberance in the acetabular roof in five different octopus species; previously, this protuberance was identified by the authors in Octopus vulgaris. Moreover, we discuss the role of the protuberance and other anatomical structures in attachment with minimal energy consumption.