HENRY, H.T.*; MARSH, R.L.; ELLERBY, D.J.; Northeastern University, Boston, MA; Northeastern University, Boston, MA; Northeastern University, Boston, MA: Jumping performance of guinea fowl

Jumping performance has been studied in a variety of animals that are specialized for jumping. Although generally not considered specialized jumpers many birds must use powerful jumps routinely preparatory to flight. We investigated the biomechanics of vertical jumping in guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) using a combination of force plate measurements, high-speed video analysis, and measurements of muscle masses. Similar performance was calculated from the kinematic and force plate measurements. Hind limb muscle mass was approximately 22% of the body mass. The birds produced vertical forces of more than 5x body weight. Assuming that all of the muscles participate in the jump, we calculated that the birds produced a peak power output of more than 600 W/kg of muscle. This value is likely an underestimate of the peak power, because not all muscles can be used to effectively power the jump. The peak power output during takeoff exceeds the estimated peak isotonic power of their skeletal muscles of 463 W/kg. Muscle work outputs were greater then 40 J. These results suggest that guinea fowl, in common with specialized animal jumpers, use prestorage of energy in elastic structures to enhance power output during jumping. Supported by NIH AR47337 to RLM.