FULL, R.J.*; KUBOW, T.; GARCIA, M.; SCHWIND, W.; KODISTCHEK, D.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor: Can a simple neural oscillator generate rapid running in cockroaches? Animals are complex, high dimensional, dynamical systems. Yet, their musculo-skeletal systems can be […]

RYBCZYNSKI, N.; Duke Univ., Durham, North Carolina: Wood-Cutting Performance in Two Castorids (Rodentia, Mammalia) Fossilized cut wood found associated with the skeletal remains of the Pliocene beaver, Dipoides, provides the first evidence of wood-cutting behavior in an extinct beaver. Unlike the modern beaver, Castor, the lower incisor tips of Dipoides are not squared-off in anterior […]

ANGIELCZYK, K.D.; University of California, Berkeley: Unexpected Homoplasy in the Anomodont (Synapsida; Therapsida) Feeding System Anomodont therapsids were the most abundant and diverse group of terrestrial vertebrate herbivores during the Late Permian and much of the Triassic. The success of anomodonts has been hypothesized to be related to their complex mastication system, which was based […]

VAN VALKENBURGH, B; SACCO, T; WANG, X; Univ. of California, Los Angeles; Univ. of California, Los Angeles; Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Recognizing Pack Hunters in the Fossil Record: Evidence from Craniodental Morphology and Body Size The Borophaginae is the largest of the three subfamilies of the dog family Canidae, including some 66 […]

ESPINOZA, R.E.*; DEAN-BRADLEY, K.; TRACY, C.R.; California State Univ., Northridge; US Geological Survey, Ft. Collins, CO; Univ. Nevada, Reno: Herbivory imposes constraints on the life-history strategies of reptiles. Extracting energy from plants is thought to be most challenging for small herbivores, especially neonates, because of their high energy needs and small guts. Herbivores could provide […]

CROMPTON, A.W.; LIEBERMAN, D.E.; OWERKOWICZ, T.; Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA; Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA; Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA: Control of jaw movements in the hairy-nosed wombat Strain of the ventral surface of the mandibular symphysis and ramus was recorded synchronously with EMG’s from the principal jaw adductors in three hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons). EMG’s were […]

MCBRAYER, L.D.; Stephen F. Austin State University: The relationship between skull morphology, biting performance and foraging mode in Kalahari lacertid lizards Lizards are a diverse clade in which one radiation of species consists entirely of sit-and-wait foragers and another consists of wide foragers. Lizards utilizing these two foraging modes are known differ in diet, but […]

YANEGA, G; RUBEGA, M; University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT: The hummingbird bill as a utensil for insectivory: prey-capture and transport in the Ruby-throated Hummingbird While it is generally recognized that hummingbirds require protein derived from animal (arthropod) sources, there have been no prior attempts to quantify the mechanics of insectivory in hummingbirds. The stereotypical bill […]

RUBEGA, M.A.; GJERDRUM, C.; YANEGA, G.; University of Connecticut, Storrs; University of Connecticut, Storrs; University of Connecticut, Storrs: Motor pattern conservation and feeding mechanics in Scolopacid shorebirds All but a few of the shorebirds in the Scolopacidae are precocial and entirely self-feeding from hatch, which implies some degree of genetic and phylogenetic determination of the […]

VINCENT, SE*; HERREL , A; IRSCHICK, DJ; Tulane University; University of Antwerp; Tulane University: Kinematic comparisons of aquatic and terrestrial predation in a pitviper, Agkistrodon piscivorus Aquatic foraging in snakes has evolved independently in several different clades of snakes. Thus, aquatic foraging in snakes presents an exceptional opportunity to study convergent evolution in vertebrate feeding […]