Posts by: Sam Nichols

Nature’s Mysterious Flyer

October 11, 2011 at 1:41 pm

One of the most mysterious gliding animals that can be found in nature is the flying squid. Flying squid are cephalopod mulluscs and of the Ommatostrephidae family. Several species include the Humboldt squid, the Neon Flying squid, and the Japanese flying squid. They can range in size from 10 cm long to 100 cm long. […]

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Small Seeds Inspire Big Ideas

October 10, 2011 at 4:53 pm

Many of us can remember as a child being fascinated by maple seeds, with their single wing, spinning gracefully to the ground. As it turns out, scientists also have been amazed by this process. So much so that since the 1950s, engineers have been trying to replicate the flight of these seeds. Maple seeds, a […]

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The Flying Lizard

September 23, 2011 at 12:36 pm

The agamid genus Draco, also known as the Flying Lizard, is a gliding animal. Within Southeast Asia, there are many different species of Draco, but they all have the same physical adaptation of a patagium. A patagium is an extension of extra skin from the body that acts as a wing for gliding animals. What […]

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