Fig. 5. Summary diagram illustrating the differences in contractile properties between a variety of muscles. Relative tension is plotted against optimal muscle length. The length/tension properties of a typical vertebrate cross-striated muscle are indicated in red (data for the tongue retractor in Pogona vitticeps). The length/tension diagram for the obliquely striated mantle muscle in Sepia officinalis is depicted in blue (Milligan et al., 1997). The length/tension properties of chameleon (Chameleo oustaleti) tongue retractor muscle are depicted in green (Herrel et al., 2001) and the length/tension properties for the body wall muscle of Calliphora erythrocephala (Hardie, 1976) are depicted in black. Both the chameleon and the Calliphora erythrocephala muscles are of the supercontracting type and are able to generate tension over extreme muscle lengths. Cuttlefish obliquely striated muscle (blue) seems to have intermediate length/tension properties and is able to generate tension over a wider range of muscle lengths than typical vertebrate cross-striated muscles (red).

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