stability
- High aerodynamic lift from the tail reduces drag in gliding raptors
Summary: Aerodynamic lift from gliding hawk and owl tails, revealed by tracking helium bubbles, is inconsistent with passive stability or minimizing induced drag, but indicates a role in reducing viscous drag.
- Quantifying koala locomotion strategies: implications for the evolution of arborealism in marsupials
Highlighted Article: Koalas possess a unique morphology for a marsupial; examination of their locomotion is used to determine the extent to which they have converged with other arboreal mammals such as primates.
- Ground reaction forces intersect above the center of mass even when walking down visible and camouflaged curbs
Highlighted Article: In human walking, ground reaction forces are directed to a point above the center of mass to promote whole-body stability. This is also observed in camouflaged curb negotiation.
- Preferred walking speed on rough terrain: is it all about energetics?
Highlighted Article: On rough terrain, humans do not choose their walking speed based solely on metabolic energy minimization.
- Avoiding topsy-turvy: how Anna's hummingbirds (Calypte anna) fly through upward gusts
Summary: Hummingbirds flying through intense upward gusts experience pronounced downward pitching motions (i.e. nose dives). In response, they interrupt flapping, hold the wings dorsally, and angle and fan the tail.
- Limping following limb loss increases locomotor stability
Highlighted Article: It is possible to increase the stability of a gait by limping over unstable phases and maximizing the time spent in the stable phases of a stride.
- Scaling of avian bipedal locomotion reveals independent effects of body mass and leg posture on gait
Summary: We review how body size and leg morphology influence walking and running gaits across 21 species of birds spanning a >2500× range in mass from painted quail to ostrich.
- Asymmetry costs: effects of wing damage on hovering flight performance in the hawkmoth Manduca sexta
Summary: Asymmetric wing damage in hawkmoths is approximately twice as costly as symmetric damage.
- Propulsion in hexapod locomotion: how do desert ants traverse slopes?
Summary: Analysis of the alternating tripod gait of desert ants together with ground reaction forces and weight-specific leg impulses during inclined locomotion reveals the mechanical function of the hind legs as the main brake on downslopes (–60 and –30 deg) and the front legs as the main motor on steep upslopes (+60 deg).
- Light level impacts locomotor biomechanics in a secondarily diurnal gecko, Rhoptropus afer
Highlighted Article: Vision is critical for locomotion, but it is poorly understood in relation to locomotor biomechanics in non-human vertebrates. The secondarily diurnal gecko, Rhoptropus afer, shows changes in speed and posture in low light conditions.