Meeting Abstract 83.2  Friday, Jan. 7  Locomotor Loading of the Femur in Opossums: Safety Factors, Loading Regimes, and an Explanation for Mediolateral Bending BLOB, R.W.*; BUTCHER, M.T.; GOSNELL, W.C.; MAIE, T.; PARRISH, J.H.A.; Clemson Univ.; Youngstown State Univ.; Clemson Univ.; Clemson Univ.; Clemson Univ. rblob@clemson.edu Terrestrial locomotion exposes vertebrate limb bones to significant loads that must be […]

Meeting Abstract 83.5  Friday, Jan. 7  Leg thrust forces in Zebra finches during take-off and landing on non-level perches PROVINI, P.*; ABOURACHID, A.; Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris France; Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris France provini@mnhn.fr Take-off and landing are crucial components of birds flight. As few studies have focused on the function of the hindlimbs during […]

Meeting Abstract 83.6  Friday, Jan. 7  How a quadruped limps: long-term quantification of support redistribution following injury in the dog BERTRAM, JEA*; GUTMANN, A; GERMSCHEID, N; MATYAS, J; Univ. of Calgary, Calgary, Canada jbertram@ucalgary.ca During locomotion, terrestrial mammals must support body weight as they propel themselves forward. If one limb is unable to support the normal proportion […]

Meeting Abstract 83.1  Friday, Jan. 7  Evolution of body posture with body size within Varanid lizards (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus). CLEMENTE, C.J.*; WITHERS, P.C.; THOMPSON, G.; LLOYD, D; Harvard University; University of Western Australia; Edith Cowan University; University of Western Australia clemente@rowland.harvard.edu Geometric scaling predicts that stresses on limb bones and muscles should increase with body size. Mammals […]

Meeting Abstract 82.1  Friday, Jan. 7  Mechanical optimization and skull form in New World leaf-nosed bats DUMONT, E.R.*; SAMAVEDAM, K.C.; GROSSE, I.R.; Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst; Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst; Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst bdumont@bio.umass.edu Links between trophic specialization and skull form are a common theme in comparative studies of mammals. While correlations between […]

Meeting Abstract 82.4  Friday, Jan. 7  Limitations for walking speeds – how accurate are predictions based on a reductionist inverted pendulum model HUBEL, TY*; USHERWOOD, J; Royal Veterinary College, UK; Royal Veterinary College, UK thubel@rvc.ac.uk Reductionist inverted pendulum models of walking predict that maximum walking speed depends on step length, leg length, and gravity. Maximum walking speed […]

Meeting Abstract 82.2  Friday, Jan. 7  Free body analysis, beam mechanics, and finite element modeling of the mandible of Alligator mississippiensis ROSS, C.F.*; PORRO, L.B.; HOLLIDAY, C.M.; ANAPOL, F.; OLIVEROS, L.C.; OLIVEROS, L.T.; University of Chicago; University of Chicago; University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia; University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; University of Wisconsin, […]

Meeting Abstract 82.5  Friday, Jan. 7  Do skeletal levers have a trade-off between speed and force? MCHENRY, MJ*; STROTHER, JA; UC Irvine mmchenry@uci.edu The mechanical advantage, MA, determines how much force may be generated by a skeletal lever system. MA is the distance from input force to a joint, divided by the distance from the joint to […]

Meeting Abstract 82.3  Friday, Jan. 7  Comparing elastic energy structures in mantis shrimp using finite element analysis ROSARIO, M.V.*; PATEK, S.N.; DUMONT, E.R.; Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst; Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst; Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst mrosario@bio.umass.edu Extremely fast movements that cannot be accounted for by muscle alone require stored elastic energy. However little is known about variation […]

Meeting Abstract 81.5  Friday, Jan. 7  The Effects of Intraspecific Competition on the Prey-Capture Kinematics and Behavior of Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus PFEIFFENBERGER, J.A.*; MOTTA, P.J.; University of South Florida; University of South Florida jpfeiffenber2009@my.fit.edu Previous studies on the prey capture kinematics and behavior in bony fishes have shown that temperature and satiation can affect prey capture […]