PORTER, ME; SUMMERS, AP; Univ. of California, Irvine; Univ. of California, Irvine: Biochemical and structural properties of the cartilaginous vertebral column of sharks There is a common perception that the skeleton of cartilaginous fishes is flimsy compared to bony fishes. However, this idea has never been tested, and the functional extremes achieved by some sharks […]

ZUMWALT, A.C.; Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD: A new method to quantify the 3D morphology of bone surfaces, with application to muscle enthesis rugosity There is a long tradition in paleontology of reconstructing the size and in vivo activity of a muscle from the location and appearance of its skeletal attachment site. In general, larger […]

RIVERA, G.*; SAVITZKY, A.H.; HINKLEY, J.A.; Old Dominion University; Old Dominion University; NASA Langley Research Center: The integument of the Common Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis): Mechanical properties and the role of skin in feeding The evolution of advanced snakes has involved morphological restructuring associated with the ability to ingest large-bodied prey. Previous studies investigating ophidian feeding […]

ALAMILLO, H; Univ. of Missouri-Rolla: Tail autotomy in six species of Amphisbaena (Amphisbaena, Reptilia) from the Antilles Relative to other groups of reptiles, little is known about the biology of the amphisbaenids, presumably because they are difficult to collect and encountered infrequently. Although many published works of C. Gans and others document some aspects of […]

DURIE, Christopher J.; University of Rhode Island: Opercular-linkage disruption: a test of the four-bar linkage model The kinematics of prey-capture in blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) subjected to three experimental treatments (control, anesthetization, and linkage-disruption) were analyzed using high-speed video to explore the role of the opercular four-bar linkage in opening the mouth in teleost fishes. […]

LAPPIN, AK; MONROY, JA; PILARSKI, JQ; PIEROTTI, DJ; ZEPNEWSKI, ED; NISHIKAWA, KC; Northern Arizona University; Northern Arizona University; Northern Arizona University; Northern Arizona University; Northern Arizona University; Northern Arizona University; ; : Modeling ballistic jaw movements using equations of motion for a damped mass-spring system. II. Results. During ballistic tongue projection, the mm. depressor mandibulae […]

NISHIKAWA, KC; Northern Arizona University: Modeling ballistic jaw movements using equations of motion for a damped mass-spring system. I. Methods. During ballistic tongue projection, the mm. depressor mandibulae of toads produce high mass specific power (>7 W/g) with little storage of strain energy in tendon or other structures. To account for this high power output, […]

CHI, K.-J.; Duke Univ., Durham, NC: Functional Implications of the Mechanical Inhomogeneity in Mammalian Paw Pads Mammalian paw pads have well-developed subdermal adipose tissue partitioned into chambers by fibrous membranes; hence they can be viewed as a hydrostatic support. Morphological studies show that pad tissue is inhomogeneous with the general trend that chamber size increases […]

METZGER, KA; ROSS, CF; SPENCER, MA; Stony Brook University; Stony Brook University; University of Colorado at Denver: Does the constrained lever model describe an optimality criterion in crocodilian jaw mechanics? The constrained lever model (CLM) describes the theoretical relationship between bite force, the position of the jaw adductor resultant, and jaw joint loading during unilateral […]

BALTZLEY, Michael/J; LOHMANN, Kenneth/J; Universiy of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Universiy of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Characterization and function of neurons homologous to the Pd5 mucociliary motor neurons in the mollusc Tritonia diomedea. The Pedal 5 (Pd5) neurons in the nudibranch gastropod Tritonia diomedea have been studied extensively because they show an increase […]