DEUFEL, A.*; CUNDALL, D.: Feeding in stiletto snakes Stiletto snakes (Atractaspis) resemble vipers in having a short maxilla bearing a long fang associated with a large venom gland. Previous studies of Atractaspis have described an unusual envenomation strategy in which one fang is unilaterally everted from the closed mouth and stabbed into the prey by […]

LADUC, T.J.: Effects of body size on the predatory strike of the western diamondback rattlesnake ( Crotalus atrox ) Changes in body size can be of particular importance to feeding mechanics, yet little information is available for allometric effects on terrestrial vertebrate feeding systems. The predatory strike of rattlesnakes, along with the great range of […]

Price, C.L.*; Meyers, J.J.; Herrel, A.; Nishikawa, K.C.: Scaling and kinematics of tongue projection in chameleons Within a year from hatching, chameleons can grow up to two orders of magnitude. This rapid increase in body size likely imposes constraints on the function of chameleon muscles used for prey capture. In this study, we looked at […]

LAPPIN, A.K.*; NISHIKAWA, K.C.; PIEROTTI, D.J.: Isometric contractile properties of anuran jaw muscles and their relationship to feeding mechanics All terrestrial frogs examined to date use tongue prehension to capture prey. Three categories of feeding behavior have been identified in frogs with respect to tongue performance during prey capture. Tongue performance characteristics that vary markedly […]

DESROCHERS, D.M.*; NISHIKAWA, K.C.: Hypoglossal sensory feedback control during feeding in the toad Bufo alvarius This study explores the role of hypoglossal sensory feedback during feeding in the toad Bufo alvarius. Prior studies indicate that sensory feedback from the hypoglossal nerves can trigger inhibition of both tonic and phasic activity of the jaw levator muscles. […]

CARRE-O, C.A.*; NISHIKAWA, K.C.: Does morphology correlate with prey capture kinematics in leptodactylid frogs? Leptodactylid frogs exhibit diversity of the tongue and jaw mechanics during prey capture. Two mechanisms of prey capture have been seen in leptodactylids: inertial elongation and mechanical pulling. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that inertial elongation has evolved independently from mechanical pulling several […]

Zepnewski, E.*; Nishikawa, K.: Connective tissue in ballistic tongues Nerve transection experiments of the main tongue protractor muscle showed differences in feeding behavior between Rana pipiens and Bufo woodhousii. Bufo woodhousii shows a reduction in tongue protraction length without directional deviation. The tongueof R. pipiens, while also showing a reduction in extension, deviates toward the […]

Monroy, J.A.*; Nishikawa, K.C.: Aiming during prey capture in microhylid frogs Microhylid frogs have the unusual ability to aim their tongues independently of the head during prey capture. The tongue is elongated hydrostatically, which requires a novel protractor muscle (m. genioglossus) morphology. This novel morphology and demand for fine motor control raised the question: Are […]

HUSKEY, S.H.*; TURINGAN, R.G.: Variation in prey-resource utilization and oral jaw gape between two populations of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides. Ontogenetic changes in diet and jaw gape were compared between two populations of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides to test the hypothesis that ecomorphology varies among broadly distributed fish populations. Two hundred seventy-two temperate (southwest Michigan) […]

MCGOWAN, C.P.*; O’REILLY, J.C.; NISHIKAWA, K.C.: Scaling of the Feeding Mechanism in the Colorado River Toad There are several potential structural and functional consequences of an animal changing size. As the whole animal grows, individual components that make up complex functional systems, such as the feeding mechanism, may grow at varying rates. To explore this […]