SUMMARY The fast-start escape response is critically important to avoid predation, and axial movements driving it have been studied intensively. Large median dorsal and anal fins located near the tail have been hypothesized to increase acceleration away from the threat, yet the contribution of flexible median fins remains undescribed. To investigate the role of median fins, C-start escape responses of bluegill sunfish ( Lepomis macrochirus ) were recorded by three high-speed, high-resolution cameras at 500 frames s −1 and the 3-D kinematics of individual dorsal and anal fin rays were analyzed. Movement and orientation of the fin rays relative to the body axis were calculated throughout the duration of the C-start. We found that: (1) timing and magnitude of angular displacement varied among fin rays based on position within the fin and (2) kinematic patterns support the prediction that fin rays are actively resisting hydrodynamic forces and transmitting momentum into the water. We suggest that regions within the fins have different roles. Anterior regions of the fins are rapidly elevated to increase the volume of water that the fish may interact with and transmit force into, thus generating greater total momentum. The movement pattern of all the fin rays creates traveling waves that move posteriorly along the length of the fin, moving water as they do so. Flexible posterior regions ultimately act to accelerate this water towards the tail, potentially interacting with vortices generated by the caudal fin during the C-start. Despite their simple appearance, median fins are highly complex and versatile control surfaces that modulate locomotor performance.

SUMMARY Small mammals must negotiate terrains that consist of numerous substrates that vary in diameter, surface structure, rigidity and orientation. Most studies on mammals have focused on the effects of substrate diameter during horizontal locomotion, especially in small- to medium-sized primates and marsupials. Locomotion across sloped arboreal substrates, however, is poorly understood. Here, in order to determine which locomotor parameters a terrestrial mammal, the rat, and a tree-dwelling mammal, the European red squirrel, modify in response to differences in substrate orientation, three-dimensional kinematics were examined using biplanar videoradiography as the animals moved on 30 and 60 deg inclined branches. Our results revealed that to maintain stability and friction as well as balance during inclined branch locomotion, these species utilize comparable locomotor adjustments despite significant differences in travel speed and gait. Rats and European red squirrels increased limb flexion and retraction in order to bring the center of mass as close as possible to the substrate surface and to achieve maximum propulsion. Additionally, forelimbs were placed more laterally and underneath the branch whereas the hindlimbs were placed approximately on the top of the branch. These locomotor adjustments, which have also been observed in primates and marsupials, are independent of speed, morphological adaptations and limb proportions and thus might be strategies used by early mammals. Our results also suggest that mammals that lack, or have reduced, grasping abilities try to maintain the locomotor mode used during horizontal branch locomotion on inclined branches for as long as possible.

SUMMARY Gliding is the simplest form of flight, yet relatively little is known about its mechanics in animals. The goal of this study was to describe the body position and performance of a gliding mammal and to identify correlates between kinematics and aerodynamic performance. To do this, I used a pair of high-speed digital cameras to record a portion of the middle of glides by southern flying squirrels, Glaucomys volans . The squirrels launched from a height of 4 m and landed on a vertical pole. Reflective markers were applied to anatomical landmarks and the 3-D coordinates of these points were computed to describe the kinematics of the glides. From these data I estimated the lift and drag generated during the glide, and correlated these variables with gliding performance as measured by glide angle, glide speed and stability. In the majority of the glide sequences the squirrels accelerated in the downward direction and accelerated horizontally forward as they moved through the calibrated volume in the middle of the glide trajectory, rather than exhibiting a steady glide in which the body weight is balanced by the resultant aerodynamic force. Compared to human engineered airfoils, the angles of attack used by the squirrels were unexpectedly high, ranging from 35.4°to 53.5°, far above the angle of attack at which an aircraft wing would typically stall. As expected based on aerodynamic theory, there was a negative correlation between angle of attack and lift coefficient, indicating that the wings are stalled, and a positive correlation between angle of attack and drag coefficient. Also as expected, there was a negative correlation between lift-to-drag ratio and angle of attack, as increasing angle of attack produced both less lift and more drag. Within glides, there was a strong correlation between nose-down pitching rotations and limb movements that tended to increase the angle of attack of the wing membrane, suggesting that the animals actively control their pitch by moving their limbs. The squirrels used much steeper glide angles than those reported for other gliding animals, ranging from 40.4° to 57.4°. It is likely that this is because they did not launch from a great enough height to reach their minimum glide angle. In some trials the glide angle increased over the captured portion of the glide,whereas in others it decreased, and the magnitude of the changes varied substantially, rendering it difficult to ascertain which portion of the glide trajectory was represented. Decreases in glide angle were strongly correlated with increases in lift coefficient, but were uncorrelated with drag coefficient.

SUMMARY The forked snake tongue is a muscular organ without hard skeletal support. A functional interpretation of the variable arrangement of the intrinsic muscles along the tongue requires a quantitative analysis of the motion performance during tongue protrusion and flicking. Therefore, high-speed fluoroscopy and high-speed stereo photogrammetry were used to analyse the three-dimensional shape changes of the tongue in Python molurus bivittatus (Boidae). The posterior protruding part of the tongue elongated up to 130% while the flicking anterior portion elongated maximally 60%. The differences in tongue strains relate to the absence or presence,respectively, of longitudinal muscle fibres in the peripheral tongue. Maximum overall protrusion velocity (4.3 m s –1 ) occurred initially when the tongue tip left the mouth. Maximum tongue length of ∼0.01 body length (20 mm) was reached during the first tongue flick. These observations are discussed within the scope of the biomechanical constraints of hydrostatic tongue protrusion: a negative forward pressure gradient, longitudinal tongue compliance and axial tongue stiffness. The three-dimensional deformation varied along the tongue with a mean curvature of 0.06 mm –1 and a maximum value of 0.5 mm –1 . At the basis of the anterior forked portion of the tongue tips, extreme curvatures up to 2.0 mm –1 were observed. These quantitative results support previously proposed inferences about a hydrostatic elongation mechanism and may serve to evaluate future dynamic models of tongue flicking.