Fig. 5. The trade-off between twitch tension and duration in tailshaker muscle during rattling in western diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox). The tension–time integral (TTI) is approximately equal to the product of tension and period, so the dramatic increase in twitch tension trades off with the decrease in twitch period to minimise change in TTI. A TTI value of 1 would indicate an exact trade-off between twitch tension and period. Columns indicate mean values and error bars indicate 1 S.D. in a sample of five snakes.
