BIRON, S.A.*; ELZEY, S.P.; HOWELL, W.H.; University of New Hampshire: Comparison of feeding habits between adult and juvenile smooth skate, Malacoraja senta, and the possible influence of tooth morphology The smooth skate, Malacoraja senta is a small species indigenous to the Gulf of Maine (GOM). Due to the lack of biological data and the decline […]

HUBER, D.R.; MOTTA, P.J.; University of South Florida; University of South Florida: Bite Force and Cranial Design of a Hard Prey Specialist, the Horn Shark Heterodontus francisci The application of engineering techniques to biological systems has often revealed the influence of structural principles in organismal design. Through mechanical analysis of the forces generated by the […]

GRUBICH, Justin R; WESTNEAT, Mark W; The Field Museum of Natural History; The Field Museum of Natural History: Biomechanical Modeling of Pharyngeal Jaw Bite Force in Sciaenid Fishes Pharyngeal jaws in many fishes process prey items for digestion by biting or crushing them with high compressive forces. Engineering principles of four-bar linkages were used to […]

SOCHA, J.J.; LEE, W.K.; WESTNEAT, M.W.; University of Chicago; Argonne National Laboratory; Field Museum: Beetle respiration mechanics analyzed with synchrotron x-ray imaging Many insects actively compress their tracheae to convectively move air through the body for respiration. Tracheae in the head of ground beetles are highly compressible, providing substantial tidal volume. Here we provide detailed […]

VINCENT, S/E; MOON, B/R; HERREL, A; Tulane Unversity; University of Louisiana at Lafayette; University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1 : The functional meaning of “prey size” in snakes: influence of prey dimensions on feeding function and performance in water snakes (Nerodia fasciata) The evolutionary success of macrostomatan (enlarged-gape) snakes has been attributed to their ability to […]

SCHWENK, K.; GIGNAC, P.M.*; University of Connecticut; Florida State University: The anatomical basis of cranial kinesis in lizards A number of studies have focused on the form and function of intracranial movements in lizards (cranial kinesis), but rarely has the anatomy and potential movement of individual joints been evaluated. Frazetta (1983) suggested that cranial kinesis […]

HUSKEY, S.H.*; WAINWRIGHT, P.C.; TURINGAN, R.G.; Western Kentucky University; University of California, Davis; Florida Institute of Technology: Scaling snook suction: effects of body size on feeding performance Size can enable or constrain the ability of an animal to function and exploit its environment, and many vertebrates go through a significant change in body size during […]

GIBB, A.C.; BLANTON, J.M.; Northern Arizona University; Amherst College: Is there a free lunch? Elastic recoil and herbivory in Poecilia sphenops Many species of teleost fish, including members of the Scaridae, Kyphosidae and Blennidae, have evolved a second lower jaw joint. This joint is located between the dentary and the angular-articular complex and termed the […]

ROSSELL, John M.; VINCENT, Shawn E.; HERREL, Anthony; IRSCHICK, Duncan J.; Tulane University; Tulane University; University of Antwerp; Tulane University: Do juvenile snakes compensate for their small size when feeding? Ontogeny of feeding performance in the water snake, Nerodia fasciata When juvenile and adult animals occur syntopically, juveniles are believed to be at a distinct […]

METZGER, K.A. *; HERREL, A.; Stony Brook University; University of Antwerp: 3-D analysis of inertial transport in tegus: modulation of jaw and craniocervical kinematics Inertial transport is a presumably stereotypic form of prey transport that is utilized to move food items from the jaw tips into and through the oral cavity. It has been contrasted […]