.... The kinematics showed that jumps were propelled by rapid and synchronous movements of both hind legs, with their trochantera moving first. The hind legs were 20–40% longer than the front legs, which was attributable to longer tibiae. It took 5–6 ms to accelerate to take-off velocities reaching 4.65 m s −1...

...M. Burrows; M. Dorosenko ABSTRACT The order Hemiptera includes jumping insects with the fastest take-off velocities, all generated by catapult mechanisms. It also contains the large family Miridae or plant bugs. Here, we analysed the jumping strategies and mechanisms of six mirid species from high...

...G. P. Sutton; M. Doroshenko; D. A. Cullen; M. Burrows ABSTRACT Many insects such as fleas, froghoppers and grasshoppers use a catapult mechanism to jump, and a direct consequence of this is that their take-off velocities are independent of their mass. In contrast, insects such as mantises, caddis...

... in birds. For example, rounded wings are thought to be more useful for avoiding wing damage in cluttered environments. In this context, it is noteworthy that Galliformes with rounded wings use tip-reversal when they are engaged in explosive escape flight after take-off ( Tobalske and Dial, 2000 ). Another...

... is unknown. Here, the effect that the train has on take-off flight in peacocks was quantified as the sum of the rates of change of the potential and kinetic energies of the body ( P CoM ) in birds with trains and following the train's removal. There was no significant difference between P CoM in birds...

...Gaëlle Bimbard; Dmitry Kolomenskiy; Olivier Bouteleux; Jérôme Casas; Ramiro Godoy-Diana SUMMARY Up to now, the take-off stage has remained an elusive phase of insect flight that was relatively poorly explored compared with other maneuvers. An overall assessment of the different mechanisms involved...

...Pauline Provini; Bret W. Tobalske; Kristen E. Crandell; Anick Abourachid SUMMARY Take-off mechanics are fundamental to the ecology and evolution of flying animals. Recent research has revealed that initial take-off velocity in birds is driven mostly by hindlimb forces. However, the contribution...

... of ground take-off in the starling Sturnis vulgaris and the quail Coturnix coturnix . J. Exp. Biol. 203 , 725 - 739 . Fiedler J. ( 1979 ). Prey catching with and without echolocation in the Indian false vampire (Megaderma lyra) . Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 6 , 155 - 160 . Gabriel J...

... in wing kinematics and aerodynamics across flight speeds are gradual. Take-off flight performance scales with body size, but fully revealing the mechanisms responsible for this pattern awaits new study. Intermittent flight appears to reduce the power cost for flight, as some species flap–glide at slow...

...John J. Socha SUMMARY Among terrestrial vertebrate gliders, take-off presents a unique problem to flying snakes ( Chrysopelea ). Without legs, snakes must use fundamentally different kinematics to begin their aerial trajectories. To determine the effectiveness of different modes of take-off...

... taxa. The remaining two variables were performance attributes, indicating significant variation among the species in take-off velocity and horizontal range. The absence of significant differences in hindlimb kinematics indicates that propulsion is essentially identical in leaping, parachuting...

...Graham N. Askew; Richard L. Marsh SUMMARY Take-off in birds at high speeds and steep angles of elevation requires a high burst power output. The mean power output of the pectoralis muscle of blue-breasted quail ( Coturnix chinensis ) during take-off is approximately 400 W kg -1 muscle...

...Graham N. Askew; Richard L. Marsh; Charles P. Ellington SUMMARY Blue-breasted quail ( Coturnix chinensis ) were filmed during take-off flights. By tracking the position of the centre of mass of the bird in three dimensions, we were able to calculate the power required to increase the potential...

...Kathleen D. Earls ABSTRACT The mechanics of avian take-off are central to hypotheses about flight evolution, but have not been quantified in terms of whole-body movements for any species. In this study, I use a combination of high-speed video analysis and force plate recording to measure...

... the way in which they use perches as locomotory substrates. In both birds and primates, the magnitudes of landing forces are smaller than those during take-off. Two explanations have been proposed; the difference is either a consequence of perch compliance or it is a strategic decision to be cautious...

...Richard H. C. Bonser; Jeremy M. V. Rayner ABSTRACT We describe the design of a force-transducing perch which measures the reaction forces of small birds taking off and landing. In common starlings, landing forces are lower than take-off forces, because the bird may decelerate prior to landing...