Meeting Abstract 3-7  Saturday, Jan. 4 09:30 – 09:45  Leg Length, Not Stiffness, Allows Bipedal Lizards To Navigate Drops TUCKER, E L*; HSIEH, S T; Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; Temple University, Philadelphia, PA liz.tucker@temple.edu http://elizabethtucker.mystrikingly.com/ Natural terrain varies enormously in surface properties and contour; yet animals are able to move rapidly over these surfaces with apparent ease. […]

Meeting Abstract 3-6  Saturday, Jan. 4 09:15 – 09:30  Influence of approach trajectory on water landings in mallards WHITEHEAD, JG*; WORRELL, TA; SOCHA, JJ; Virginia Tech; Virginia Tech; Virginia Tech whijo23@vt.edu Studies of landing in birds have focused on perch landings involving short flights within a controlled laboratory. However, birds demonstrate the ability to land under a […]

Meeting Abstract 3-3  Saturday, Jan. 4 08:30 – 08:45  Gliding through clutter – obstacle-avoidance and path-planning in the flying lizard Draco dussumieri KHANDELWAL, P C*; HEDRICK, T L; UNC Chapel Hill; UNC Chapel Hill pranavk@live.unc.edu Gliding animals frequently traverse complex spatial habitats to perform ecologically relevant behaviors. However, unlike flapping flyers, gliders are constrained in their ability […]

Meeting Abstract 3-1  Saturday, Jan. 4 08:00 – 08:15  Directed Aerial Descent in Arboreal Salamanders BROWN, CE*; DEBAN, SM; DUDLEY, R; SATHE, EA; University of South Florida, Tampa, FL; University of South Florida, Tampa, FL; University of California, Berkeley, CA; University of California, Berkeley, CA cbrown43@mail.usf.edu Many arboreal animals, from insects to vertebrates, use directed aerial descent […]

MOTANI, R.: Using models of extant swimmers to infer aspects of locomotion in thunniform ichthyosaurs. Studying the functional morphology of extinct vertebrates poses challenges because only fossil remains are available. Robust correlations among certain physical, physiological, or kinematic variables in extant vertebrates can help infer functional parameters of extinct animals. I present a case where […]

Castro-Santos, T.*; Haro, A.: Optimal sprint speeds of fish traversing velocity barriers: further thoughts on burst-swimming data. Migrating fish traversing velocity barriers are often forced to swim at speeds greater than Ucrit. Since prolonged and burst-swimming are powered by inefficient anaerobic metabolic processes, models predicting optimal swim speeds based on maximized energetic efficiency are inappropriate […]

WESTNEAT, M.W.*: Mechanical design for swimming in big fish: Locomotor function in tunas and relatives. The axial morphology of big marine fishes is a mechanical system specialized for both high performance swimming and long-distance cruising. The axial musculature, connective tissues, and skeleton of tunas, mackerels, billfishes and their relatives exhibit modifications of the basic actinopterygian […]

SYME, D.A.*; SHADWICK, R.E.: Mechanical Power Production by Internal Red Muscle at Different Longitudinal Body Positions in Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in Relation to Swimming The work loop technique was used to study power output by internal red muscle from skipjack tuna, to understandthe primary function of this muscle in swimming, how different strain amplitudes […]

WILGA, C.D.*; LAUDER, G.V.: Function of the heterocercal tail in sharks: quantitative wake dynamics during steady horizontal swimming and vertical maneuvering. The function of the heterocercal tail in sharks has long been debated in the literature. Previous kinematic data have supported the classical theory which proposes that the beating of the heterocercal caudal fin during […]

ROSENBERGER, L.* J.; WALKER, J. A.; COLLAR, D.; WESTNEAT, M. W.: Effects of fin shape and fin motion on labriform swimming performance Labriform locomotion in fishes is performed by either rowing or flapping the pectoral fins. In this study, we tested a priori hypotheses of causal associations between fin shape, fin kinematics, and swimming performance […]