Much as they might look like it, these images are not man-made structures: they are in fact the leg sockets of a Papua New Guinean species of weevil, Trigonopterus oblongus, which have recently been discovered to resemble what we know as the nut and screw - as often happens, nature beat us to it! The trochanter (image right) is a screw-like feature on the top of the femur, which screws into the coxa (image left) to attach the leg to the insect’s body, allowing 90 degree rotation on front legs and 130 degree rotation on hind legs. This helps the weevil to keep its balance in its leafy surroundings by allowing it to splay its legs to find footholds.Ref: Marshall M. (2011) Beetles beat us to the screw and nut. New Scientist online news [link]

Much as they might look like it, these images are not man-made structures: they are in fact the leg sockets of a Papua New Guinean species of weevil, Trigonopterus oblongus, which have recently been discovered to resemble what we know as the nut and screw - as often happens, nature beat us to it! The trochanter (image right) is a screw-like feature on the top of the femur, which screws into the coxa (image left) to attach the leg to the insect’s body, allowing 90 degree rotation on front legs and 130 degree rotation on hind legs. This helps the weevil to keep its balance in its leafy surroundings by allowing it to splay its legs to find footholds.

Ref: Marshall M. (2011) Beetles beat us to the screw and nut. New Scientist online news [link]

Source: newscientist.com

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