HERREL, A; O’REILLY, J.C.; RICHMOND, A.M.: Ontogenetic and evolutionary scaling of bite performance in turtles The design of the trophic apparatus and patterns of resource use often show tight correlations. Yet, relations between head shape and bite performance are often inferred from biomechanical models. Here we test how head size and shape influence bite performance […]

MEYERS, J.J.; HERREL, A.; MEAD, J.: Morphology of the feeding apparatus of the Australian thorny devil (Moloch horridus) The thorny devil (Moloch horridus) is an Australian agamid lizard that has a specialized diet consisting only of ants. As with many species having specialized diets, it has been suggested that M. horridus shows morphological adaptations related […]

METZGER, K.A.*; HERREL, A: Inertial feeding in reptiles: the role of skull mass reduction Kinetic inertial feeding is a stereotypic form of prey transport which is utilized to move large food items from the jaw tips into, and through the oral cavity. Once the food item is grasped in the jaws, the head and neck […]

FERRY-GRAHAM, L.A.; WAINWRIGHT, P.C.; LAUDER, G.V.: Sources of fluid flow during feeding in bluegill sunfish as identified using DPIV Two key predictions of the fluid mechanics literature have never been tested empirically in suction feeding fishes. First, it is expected that the velocity of flow into the mouth during buccal expansion will decrease exponentially with […]

MONROY, J.A.; ANDERSON, C.W.; NISHIKAWA, K.C.: Neural control of feeding in microhylid frogs In this study, we investigated the neural pathways involved in the control of feeding behavior in microhylid frogs. Microhylid frogs use a muscular hydrostatic mechanism to protract their tongues and have the unusual ability to aim their tongues independently of their heads […]

PLATT, J.P.*; TURINGAN, R.G.: Kinematic and behavioral consequences of diet-induced phenotypic plasticity in the feeding morphology of sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus Studies of phenotypic plasticity in fishes commonly focus on the correlation between diet and morphology of the feeding apparatus, but few studies have directly measured the performance consequences of diet-induced morphological changes. We conducted a […]

SWANSON, B.O.: Intra-specific competition in a polymorphic cichlid, Herichthys minckleyi: Does variation in jaw morphology lead to resource partitioning? At least two distinct prey processing morphotypes are observed in the Cuatro CiÉnegas cichlid (Herichthys minckleyi). One morphotype has gracile pharyngeal jaws with papilliform pharyngeal teeth. The other morphotype has robust pharyngeal jaws and molariform pharyngeal […]

WAINWRIGHT, P.C.*; FERRY-GRAHAM, L.A.; WALTZEK, T.B.; HULSEY, C.D.; CARROLL, A.M.; SVANBACK, R.: Evaluating suction feeding performance in fishes There is no widely-accepted metric for evaluating suction feeding performance, in spite of the widespread use of this method of prey capture among vertebrates. We studied the efficacy of Suction Distance, the distance over which the prey […]

ERICKSON, G.M.; LAPPIN, A.K.; VLIET, K.: Ontogeny of bite-force performance of the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis The diet of the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, undergoes substantial change during ontogeny. Hatchlings typically prey upon insects and small fish. At about 0.4 m total length, frogs and reptiles as well as crustaceans are added to the diet. […]

MOON, B.R.*; URQUHART, M.R.; LINDSTEDT, S.L.; CONLEY, K.E.: Long tendons reduce muscle shortening in rattlesnake tails The tailshaker muscles of western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox) sustain high frequency contractions that involve minimal shortening. Muscle segments in the proximal part of the tail have long tendons that insert onto the distal tail vertebrae; segments in the […]