The article explores the adhesive mechanisms of animals with varying body weights, such as flies, spiders, and geckos, which can adhere to and move along vertical surfaces. The study reveals a strong inverse scaling effect in these attachment devices, where the terminal elements of setae (the hair-like structures) are smaller in sub-μm dimensions for heavier animals like geckos compared to lighter ones like flies. This trend is explained by contact mechanics principles, which predict that splitting the contact into finer subcontacts increases adhesion. The authors use microscopic measurements and contact mechanics theory to show that the scaling of surface protuberances in these animals can be quantitatively explained by a self-similar scaling relationship. This approach also predicts the optimal seta density and contact radius for different animals, providing insights into the design principles of natural adhesive systems. The findings suggest that contact splitting is a key design principle in the evolutionary development of biological attachment devices.The article explores the adhesive mechanisms of animals with varying body weights, such as flies, spiders, and geckos, which can adhere to and move along vertical surfaces. The study reveals a strong inverse scaling effect in these attachment devices, where the terminal elements of setae (the hair-like structures) are smaller in sub-μm dimensions for heavier animals like geckos compared to lighter ones like flies. This trend is explained by contact mechanics principles, which predict that splitting the contact into finer subcontacts increases adhesion. The authors use microscopic measurements and contact mechanics theory to show that the scaling of surface protuberances in these animals can be quantitatively explained by a self-similar scaling relationship. This approach also predicts the optimal seta density and contact radius for different animals, providing insights into the design principles of natural adhesive systems. The findings suggest that contact splitting is a key design principle in the evolutionary development of biological attachment devices.