Meeting Abstract

17.1  Tuesday, Jan. 4  When gliding is a stretch: An investigation of material properties of ‘flying’ snake skin DELLINGER, S.B.*; VLACHOS, P.P.; DE VITA, R.; SOCHA, J.J.; Virginia Tech; Virginia Tech; Virginia Tech; Virginia Tech sarah521@vt.edu

Quantifying the material properties of soft tissue can lend insight into how tissues function. In snakes, the skin serves for protection, camouflage, visual signaling, locomotion, and allows body expansion during large prey ingestion. The skin of “flying” snakes (genus Chrysopelea) uniquely must accommodate combined dorsoventral flattening and undulatory movements while gliding, yet also withstand large impact forces associated with landing. Here, we characterize the quasi-static and dynamic material properties of the skin of the flying snake Chrysopelea paradisi. In particular, we used tensile testing to determine elastic modulus, failure stress and strain, and hysteresis effects across body regions. To quantify physiologically relevant properties of the skin, uniaxial tests were performed at extension rates comparable to undulation, body flattening, and landing observed in snake gliding behavior. During tensile tests, samples were imaged to compare the response of scales and deep skin. A modified particle image velocimetry algorithm was used to calculate strain fields throughout each trial. Additionally, both sides of the sample were imaged to identify regions of high strain with respect to the scales. These results may explain how local and global differences in skin properties contribute to skin function during takeoff, gliding, and landing in Chrysopelea. Research supported by DARPA (W911NF1010040).