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Table 3 Summary of tentacle-contained cnidocyst penetration of various materials

From: Puncture mechanics of cnidarian cnidocysts: a natural actuator

Material

Elastic Modulus (MPa)

Penetration

Gelatin

0.02

+

Polyacrylamide

0.06

+

Teflon

0.10

+

Latex

0.80

+

PDMS

1.00

+

Nitrile

2.60

-

Polyvinylchloride

250

-

Polycarbonate

2,000

-

Aluminum

70,000

-

Glass

90,000

-

  1. List of test materials and their respective elastic moduli. The ability of tentacle-contained cnidocysts from Physalia to puncture these materials is also listed. Note that the elastic modulus of human skin is approximately 0.13 MPa [35]. A positive sign denotes successful penetration of at least some of the threads in all three trials. A negative sign indicates a lack of successful penetration in all trials. In positive cases, thread penetration occurred in all three trials.