Geckos can race up a polished glass wall at a meter per second and support their entire body weight from a wall with only a single toe. They can also hold up to a hundred times their own body weight!

 Both spiders and geckos possess tiny “hairs” arranged in a hierarchical structure on their feet that allow them to stick to surfaces.

The hairs produce very weak intermolecular forces when unbalanced electrical charges around molecules attract each other, resulting in a cumulative force being generated. This in turn enables the lizard to scurry up smooth wall surfaces.

• BAE Systems has invented a textile - Synthetic Gecko - which recreates the natural adhesion of the lizard. A sheet of just one metre square would be strong enough to hoist a family car into the air.

•How Geckos Stick—New Find May Lead to New Glue

• Read the full article: Gecko is the model for real-life Spiderman