In a lizard focused episode of Today I Found Out, host Simon Whistler explains how gecko feet are able to stick to almost anything, and why they don’t stick to Teflon.
It has been observed since the 4th century BC that geckos have the ability to climb walls, hang upside down, and apparently “stick” to anything. Aristotle was the first known to have commented on the phenomenon, stating gecko’s have the ability to “run up and down a tree in any way, even with the head downwards.” It wasn’t until recently that it was discovered what gave them this spider-man-like ability.
