Meeting Abstract

110.3  Tuesday, Jan. 7 08:30  Muscle power in predator and prey species HUBEL, TY*; CURTIN, NA; WOLEDGE, RC; WEST, T; WILSON, AM; Royal Veterinary College, London, UK; Royal Veterinary College, London, UK; Royal Veterinary College, London, UK; Royal Veterinary College, London, UK; Royal Veterinary College, London, UK thubel@rvc.ac.uk

Cheetahs and greyhounds are know for their ability to run at exceptional high speeds and manoeuvre for prey capture. But how exceptional is that performance and how does it compare to the prey species they hunt? Muscle power or ability to deliver that power to the center of mass (e.g. grip, musculoskeletal gearing or pitch stability) might be the prevailing factor in limiting acceleration. Here we focus on the acceleration performance and associated muscle power output of two predator species cheetah and greyhound and two prey species, rabbit and hare. We measure the acceleration performance of predators using a GPS-IMU wildlife collar and calculate stride and stance average muscle power from velocity and acceleration data and stance times. Equivalent data for prey are derived from video and force platform measurements. These are compared with measures of muscle power made in vitro in our laboratory. Pilot data for predator and prey acceleration performance and power were similar suggesting that the “performance arms race” might be mainly constrained by factors other than muscle power and acceleration and that grip, turning initiation and manoeuvring or other skills such as detection may be critical in determining hunt outcome.