|
|
|
|||
| Home Help Feedback Subscriptions Archive Search Table of Contents | ||||
Journal of Experimental Biology, Vol 200, Issue 4 753-765, Copyright © 1997 by Company of Biologists
JOURNAL ARTICLES |
S Reilly and M Delancey
Although the hindlimb is widely considered to provide the propulsive force in lizard locomotion, no study to date has investigated the kinematic patterns of the lizard hindlimb during running for more than one stride for a single individual. The quantitative kinematics of the hindlimb, pelvis and backbone are described here for two individuals of the lizard Sceloporus clarkii using a fast walking trot on a treadmill moving at a constant speed of 0.833 m s-1. Pelvic rotation, femoral retraction, knee flexion and posterior movement of the foot all begin before the foot hits the substratum and, thus, there is a terminal portion of the swing phase during which the limb is retracting. Pelvic rotation (to the opposite side), femoral protraction and knee flexion all begin before the foot leaves the substratum. The foot, however, continues to move posteriorly into the early swing phase. Thus, limb retraction and protraction movements do not directly correlate with footfall phases. Axial bending involves a rough standing wave with two nodes, one centered on each limb girdle. In Sceloporus clarkii, the foot clearly remains lateral to the knee and, thus, has a more sprawling posture than that of any other vertebrate studied to date. Therefore, the generalization that the 'lacertilian' foot passes under the knee joint is no longer supported. The kinematics of sprawling locomotion in Sceloporus clarkii are compared and contrasted with the general understanding of lizard locomotion based on qualitative work to date. Comparisons with other tetrapods reveal a fundamental functional dichotomy in hindlimb retraction mechanics in salamanders and mammals versus lizards that may be related to a key morphological difference in the saurian caudifemoralis muscle.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
J. J. Chen, A. M. Peattie, K. Autumn, and R. J. Full Differential leg function in a sprawled-posture quadrupedal trotter J. Exp. Biol., January 15, 2006; 209(2): 249 - 259. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
K. Autumn, S. T. Hsieh, D. M. Dudek, J. Chen, C. Chitaphan, and R. J. Full Dynamics of geckos running vertically J. Exp. Biol., January 15, 2006; 209(2): 260 - 272. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. M. Reilly, J. S. Willey, A. R. Biknevicius, and R. W. Blob Hindlimb function in the alligator: integrating movements, motor patterns, ground reaction forces and bone strain of terrestrial locomotion J. Exp. Biol., March 15, 2005; 208(6): 993 - 1009. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. H. Thorsen, J. J. Cassidy, and M. E. Hale Swimming of larval zebrafish: fin-axis coordination and implications for function and neural control J. Exp. Biol., November 15, 2004; 207(24): 4175 - 4183. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. E. Higham and B. C. Jayne Locomotion of lizards on inclines and perches: hindlimb kinematics of an arboreal specialist and a terrestrial generalist J. Exp. Biol., January 15, 2004; 207(2): 233 - 248. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. M. Reilly and R. W. Blob Motor control of locomotor hindlimb posture in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) J. Exp. Biol., December 1, 2003; 206(23): 4327 - 4340. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
S. T. Hsieh Three-dimensional hindlimb kinematics of water running in the plumed basilisk lizard (Basiliscus plumifrons) J. Exp. Biol., December 1, 2003; 206(23): 4363 - 4377. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. P. Russell Integrative Functional Morphology of the Gekkotan Adhesive System (Reptilia: Gekkota) Integr. Comp. Biol., December 1, 2002; 42(6): 1154 - 1163. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. J. Irschick Evolutionary Approaches for Studying Functional Morphology: Examples from Studies of Performance Capacity Integr. Comp. Biol., April 1, 2002; 42(2): 278 - 290. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
F. E. Nelson and B. C. Jayne The effects of speed on the in vivo activity and length of a limb muscle during the locomotion of the iguanian lizard Dipsosaurus dorsalis J. Exp. Biol., March 12, 2002; 204(20): 3507 - 3522. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Evolution of hindlimb posture in nonmammalian therapsids: biomechanical tests of paleontological hypotheses Paleobiology, March 1, 2001; 27(1): 14 - 38. |
||||
![]() |
Forelimb posture in neoceratopsian dinosaurs: implications for gait and locomotion Paleobiology, September 1, 2000; 26(3): 450 - 465. |
||||
![]() |
R. Blob and A. Biewener In vivo locomotor strain in the hindlimb bones of alligator mississippiensis and iguana iguana: implications for the evolution of limb bone safety factor and non-sprawling limb posture J. Exp. Biol., January 5, 1999; 202(9): 1023 - 1046. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. Irschick and B. Jayne Comparative three-dimensional kinematics of the hindlimb for high-speed bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion of lizards J. Exp. Biol., January 5, 1999; 202(9): 1047 - 1065. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
B. Jayne and D. Irschick Effects of incline and speed on the three-dimensional hindlimb kinematics of a generalized iguanian lizard (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) J. Exp. Biol., January 1, 1999; 202(2): 143 - 159. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||