BISHOP, K.L.; Brown University: Kinematics of short glides in the Southern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys volans Gliding flight is of special interest to those who study animal locomotion both because it is a possible precursor to powered flight and because it appears to be an energetically cheap mode of transport. Before we can meaningfully address questions […]

WARRICK, Douglas R.; TOBALSKE, Bret W.; POWERS, Don R.; Oregon State University; University of Portland; George Fox University: Kinematic Symmetry and Aerodynamic Asymmetry in the Hovering Flight of Hummingbirds Hummingbirds sustain hovering using kinematics unique among birds. Because of the apparent symmetry of their upstroke and downstroke, it has long been assumed that during hovering […]

FRY, SN*; SAYAMAN, R; DICKINSON, MH; ETH/University of Z�rich; Bioengineering, CalTech; Bioengineering, CalTech: Instantaneous flight power in the fruit fly Drosophila Hovering fruit flies are required to generate sufficient flight power to overcome aerodynamic and inertial forces. The aerodynamic models developed by Ellington (1) provide the theoretical framework for estimating flight power based on time-averaged […]

DICKSON, WB; DICKINSON, MH; California Institute of Technology; California Institute of Technology: Insect flight simulation Many insects are capable of sustained controlled flight. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying the control of insect flight requires a dynamic model of the system. In this study a dynamic flight simulation of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster […]

TOBALSKE, B.W.*; WARRICK, D.R.; POWERS, D.R.; Univ. of Portland; Oregon State Univ.; George Fox Univ.: Dynamics of the hummingbird wake during forward flight over a wide range of speeds. Hummingbirds fly with their wings almost fully extended during their entire wingbeat. This pattern is associated with having proportionally short humeral bones and long distal wing […]

KIRKTON, S.D.*; HARRISON, J.F.; Univ. of California, San Diego; Arizona St. Univ.: Within instar development reduces locomotory performance but not oxygen delivery to the jumping muscle in the American locust During development within an instar, juvenile grasshoppers nearly double their body mass; however, major tracheae and spiracles only increase in size at the molt, and […]

HUFFARD, CL*; FULL, RJ; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Berkeley: Underwater bipedal locomotion by octopuses in disguise Here we report an under-water, bipedal movement using a hydrostatic skeleton rather than rigid support. Octopus marginatus and Octopus (Abdopus) aculeatus move bipedally on the ventral pair of arms while using the other six arms for […]

DANG, P/D; VINCENT, S/E; LAILVAUX, S/P; IRSCHICK, D/J; Tulane Unversity; Tulane Unversity; Tulane Unversity; Tulane Unversity: The role of body size in orthopteran jumping mechanics Although previous studies have examined the mechanics of the orthopteran jump, no studies have examined jumping in very large species to test for potentially negative influences of body size on […]

CHI*, K.-J.; ROTH, V.L.; Duke U.; Duke U.: Scaling of foot contact area and its mechanical implications for mammals of different foot postures Foot contact areas (FCA) from ~180 spp. of mammals of a wide range of body masses (BM) and different foot postures (P: plantigrady; D: digitigrady; U: unguligrady) were calculated from images of […]

ZANI, P.A.*; SIDENBLAD, K.; VAN DIJCK, A.; GLEESON, T.T.; KRAM, R.; University of Colorado: Low metabolic cost of level locomotion in box turtles (Terrapene ornata): why so inexpensive? One species of semi-aquatic turtle has been shown recently to walk with remarkable metabolic economy. We have begun to investigate if turtles in general are economical walkers […]