WOOTEN, J.A.*; SECOR, S.M.; University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa: Determinants of the specific dynamic action for anurans Specific dynamic action (SDA) is characterized by an increase in metabolic rate that accompanies meal digestion and assimilation. Given its interplay with digestive physiology and its importance to energy budgets, we undertook a comparative study […]

BERTRAM, J E A; HERMANSON, J W; Univ. of Calgary, Calgary; Cornell Univ., Ithaca: Transport and transitions on arid grasslands: equine function It has recently been observed that the standard adaptive explanation for many of the striking morphological features of horses do not necessarily stand up to close scrutiny. Elongate distal limbs with unguligrade stance […]

HERMANSON, J.W.; BERTRAM, J.E.A.; Cornell Univ.; Univ. of Calgary: Transport and transitions on arid grasslands: a long-legged niche. It is often said that long-limbed animals such as horses developed their cursorial habits and morphology as a result of predatory pressures. The “arms race” in which predators grow faster and prey species become more elusive is […]

PONTZER, Herman; Harvard University: The effect of limb length on locomotor performance Does increased limb length improve energy efficiency or speed during locomotion? Despite proposals that longer limbs increase walking and running speed and decrease locomotor energy cost, physiological studies have shown no correlation between leg length and running performance, and only limited correlations for […]

MCELROY, E.J.*; REILLY, S.M.; Ohio University; Ohio University: Preliminary analyses of locomotor consquences of foraging mode in lizards Foraging mode has been shown to have an immense impact on numerous aspects of lizard biology. However, few studies have addressed the impact of foraging mode on locomotor dynamics and limb morphology. This preliminary study focuses on […]

WILSON,, A.M.*; WITTE,, T.H.; PFAU, T.; ROBILLIARD, J.J.; The Royal Veterinary College & UCL, London; The Royal Veterinary College, London; The Royal Veterinary College, London; The Royal Veterinary College, London: Kinematics of high speed locomotion in the horse The thoroughbred racehorse can gallop at over 18ms-1 during racing and hence represents an excellent model for […]

HUBER, SS; HOYT, DF; DUTTO, DJ; WICKLER, SJ; California State Polytechnic University, Pomona: Jumping mechanics of the quadruped: the equine forelimb Six horses jumped obstacles of different heights (0.6 and 1.0 m) to test the following hypotheses: 1) additional work would be required to jump higher, and 2) the elbow would produce the most work […]

PICKERING, Trevor A.; ADOLPH, Stephen C. ; Harvey Mudd College ; Harvey Mudd College : Intra-individual variation and the estimation of maximal sprint performance Researchers often quantify sprint speed of animals in the laboratory as a measure of whole-animal performance. Maximum speed of each individual is usually estimated by taking the fastest of a small […]

RISKIN, D.K.*; HERMANSON, J.W.; Cornell University; Cornell University: Independent evolution of quadrupedal locomotion: �Front-wheel drive� in the bounding gait of vampire bats Most of the >1,000 species of bats are poor walkers, with the exception of a few disparate taxa that crawl well, such as the vampire bats. The fossil record does not indicate whether […]

KORFF, Wyatt L.; GOLDMAN, Daniel I.; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Berkeley: Escape at the solid/fluid interface: Impulsive accelerations of lizards on sand. When an animal accelerates from rest it exerts a force against the physical world; animals that live in fluids like air or water push against a medium that can move […]