Abstract
The sandfish lizard Scincus scincus spends its life in the aeolian dune deserts. To prevent sand grains from entering its lungs, it is hypothesized that the particles are aerodynamically filtered when they enter the nasal cavity: The vestibulum is a narrow rounded channel leading to a kind of 
, where cilia and mucus are present. In this chamber the particles get caught by mucus during a slow, long-lasting inhalation (2 s) due to the air flow induced by the characteristic morphology in this area, and eventually get exhaled because of an intense, cough-like exhalation that lasts only 40 ms. To verify this theory we studied the filtering system by integrating experiments and computational fluid dynamic simulations of fluid and particle flow. The simulations show that the flow profile anterior to and in the chamber is characterized by a strong cross-flow velocity that moves the sand grains towards the mucus-covered wall; particles usually remain close to the lower wall of the vestibulum and subsequently get trapped. Due to the air flow profile particles would get trapped even if they reached the central region of the nasal cavity. In this context we explore the possibility to optimize state of the art filtering systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Hartmann, U.-K.: Beitrag zur Biologie des Apothekerskinks Scincus scincus (Linnaeus, 1758): Teil 1: Taxonomie, Verbreitung, Morphologie und Ökologie. Mag. Herpetol. Herpetoculture 11(59), 17–25 (1989)
Baumgartner, W., Fidler, F., Weth, A., Habbecke, M., Jakob, P., Butenweg, C., Böhme, W.: Investigating the locomotion of the sandfish in desert sand using NMR-imaging. PLoS ONE 3(10), e3309 (2008)
Maladen, R.D., Ding, Y., Li, C., Goldman, D.I.: Undulatory swimming in sand: subsurface locomotion of the sandfish lizard. Science 325(5938), 314–318 (2009)
Knight, K.: Sandfish swim effortlessly to burrow. J. Exp. Biol. 216(2), i–ii (2012)
Sharpe, S.S., Ding, Y., Goldman, D.I.: Environmental interaction influences muscle activation strategy during sand-swimming in the sandfish lizard Scincus scincus. J. Exp. Biol. 216(Pt 2), 260–274 (2013)
Sharpe, S.S., Koehler, S.A., Kuckuk, R.M., Serrano, M., Vela, P.A., Mendelson, J., Goldman, D.I.: Locomotor benefits of being a slender and slick sand swimmer. J. Exp. Biol. 218(Pt 3), 440–450 (2015)
Dorgan, K.M.: The biomechanics of burrowing and boring. J. Exp. Biol. 218(Pt 2), 176–183 (2015)
Baumgartner, W., Saxe, F., Weth, A., Hajas, D., Sigumonrong, D., Emmerlich, J., Singheiser, M., Böhme, W., Schneider, J.M.: The sandfish’s skin: morphology, chemistry and reconstruction. J. Bionic Eng. 4(1), 1–9 (2007)
Staudt, K., Saxe, F., Schmied, H., Böhme, W., Baumgartner, W.: Sandfish inspires engineering. In: Martín-Palma, R.J., Lakhtakia, A. (eds.) SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, SPIE Proceedings, pp. 79751B–79751B-9. SPIE (2011)
Vihar, B., Wolf, C., Böhme, W., Fiedler, F., Baumgartner, W.: Respiratory physiology of the sandfish (Squamata: Scincidae: Scincus scincus) with special reference to subharenal breathing. Salamandra 51(2) (2015)
Stadler, A.T., Vihar, B., Günther, M., Huemer, M., Riedl, M., Shamiyeh, S., Mayrhofer, B., Böhme, W., Baumgartner, W.: Adaptation to life in aeolian sand: how the sandfish lizard, Scincus scincus, prevents sand particles from entering its lungs. J. Exp. Biol. 219(Pt 22), 3597–3604 (2016)
ANSYS Inc.: ANSYS Fluent Theory Guide: Release 18.0
Morsi, S.A., Alexander, A.J.: An investigation of particle trajectories in two-phase flow systems. J. Fluid Mech. 55(02), 193 (1972)
Kaufmann, B., Niedermayr, A., Sattler, H., Preuer, A.: Separation of nonmetallic particles in tundishes. Steel Res. 64(4), 203–209 (1993)
Dimitroulopoulou, C.: Ventilation in European dwellings: a review. Build. Environ. 47, 109–125 (2012)
Schild, P.G.: Contributed Report 07: State-of-the-art of low-energy residential ventilation. International Energy Agency (2007)
Sublett, J.L.: Effectiveness of air filters and air cleaners in allergic respiratory diseases: a review of the recent literature. Curr. Allergy Asthma Rep. 11(5), 395–402 (2011)
Zock, J.-P., Jarvis, D., Luczynska, C., Sunyer, J., Burney, P.: Housing characteristics, reported mold exposure, and asthma in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 110(2), 285–292 (2002)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this paper
Cite this paper
Stadler, A.T., Krieger, M., Baumgartner, W. (2018). How the Sandfish Lizard Filters Particles and What We May Learn from It. In: Vouloutsi , V., et al. Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Living Machines 2018. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10928. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95972-6_47
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95972-6_47
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95971-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95972-6
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)