BLOB, R.W.*; WILLEY, J.S.; LAUDER, G.V.; Clemson Univ.; Clemson Univ.; Harvard Univ.: Swimming in painted turtles: particle image velocimetry reveals different propulsive roles for the forelimb and hindlimb. Because most of their body axis is fused to a rigid shell, turtles rely primarily on the limbs to generate propulsive forces. Kinematic data indicate that swimming […]

MCGOWAN, C.P.*; BAUDINETTE, R.V.; BIEWENER, A.A.; Harvard University, Concord Field Station; University of Adelaide, Australia; Harvard University, Concord Field Station: Leaping and Landing; Mechanical Power in Yellow-foot Rock Wallabies. Much of what we know about animal locomotion has come from studies of animals moving at steady speeds over level surfaces. Yet in the wild animals […]

CHAPPELL , M.A.*; REZENDE, E.L.; GOMES, F.; Univ. of California, Riverside; Univ. of California, Riverside; Univ. of California, Riverside: Energetics of voluntary running in deer mice Energy costs of locomotion in small mammals have been extensively studied, but the cost versus speed relationship is known only for forced exercise and it is unclear if the […]

RIBAK, G*; ARAD, Z; KLEIN, N; WEIHS, D; Technion – Israel Institute of Technology; Technion – Israel Institute of Technology; Technion – Israel Institute of Technology; Technion – Israel Institute of Technology: Buoyancy resisting mechanisms applied by cormorants in submerged swimming Buoyancy is a destabilizing force for diving cormorants that forage at shallow depths, increasing […]

BRAINERD, E.L.*; HOOGENDYK, T.A.; MOOMAW, H.A.; TOWNSEND, P.J.; University of Massachusetts, Amherst: Yawning, breathing and stretching in humans and other vertebrates We have collected video of yawn-like behaviors in cartilaginous and ray-finned fishes, a lungfish, salamanders, caecilians, mammals, turtles, lizards, an alligator and birds. All share a similar jaw movement pattern during yawning: a slow […]

RUBEGA, M.A. *; RAY, M.K. *; University of Connecticut: Surface tension transport in red phalaropes Phalaropus fulicarius; an examination of interspecific variation in a common feeding mechanism. Surface tension transport (STT), an avian feeding mechanism which uses the surface tension of the water adhering to prey to transport it along a bird’s beak and into […]

BORRELL, Brendan J.; Univ. of California, Berkeley: Suction Feeding in the Orchid Bees Energy flux during nectar feeding is optimal at an intermediate nectar sugar concentration, which depends on the morphology of the feeding apparatus and the modality of fluid feeding. Biophysical models predict that a shift from capillary-based lapping to suction feeding will lead […]

PATEK, S.N.*; KORFF, W.; CALDWELL, R.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley: Springy saddles: a new model of energy storage in the mantis shrimp�s strike Mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda) have specialized feeding appendages which are used for smashing shells or spearing fish. We measured the speed and forces generated by […]

YANEGA, GREGOR; RUBEGA, MARGARET; University of Connecticut: Placing intramandibular kinesis in hummingbirds in the context of tetrapod feeding evolution During previous studies with ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris), we discovered a novel mode of intramandibular flexion in birds attempting to catch fruit flies. We document this mode of kinesis in two additional hummingbird species, magnificent hummingbird […]

WILLIAMS, S.H.; VINYARD, C.J.; WALL, C.E.; HYLANDER, W.L.; Duke University, Durham; Duke University, Durham; Duke University, Durham; Duke University, Durham: Masticatory strains in the mandibular corpus of selenodont artiodactyls Although selenodont artiodactyls have been the subject of several theoretical studies of masticatory biomechanics, very little is known about in vivo loading regimes in the mandible […]