... a theoretical model of flying snake aerodynamics using previously measured lift and drag coefficients to estimate the aerodynamic forces. This analysis is enabled by new measurements of the center of mass motion based on experimental data. We found that quasi-steady aerodynamic theory under-predicts lift by 35...

.... The availability of large data sets will also place greater emphasis on approaches such as modeling and simulations. Finally, the increasing sophistication of biologgers will allow more comprehensive data to be collected for individual animals in the wild. Collectively, these approaches will provide...

... potentials and muscle activation as inputs in a Hill-type muscle model, a reduction in maximum soleus muscle force at speeds ≥7.0 m s −1 and a continuous increase in maximum mechanical power with speed were predicted. The reduction in soleus maximum force was associated with a reduced force–velocity...

...Louis K. Scheffer; Ian A. Meinertzhagen ABSTRACT Understanding the structure and operation of any nervous system has been a subject of research for well over a century. A near-term opportunity in this quest is to understand the brain of a model species, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster...

... this by integrating brightness change during runs. Drosophila melanogaster larvae Animal behavior Posture tracking Navigation Decision making Modeling Many animals have evolved behaviors to find favorable locations in complex natural environments. Such behaviors include chemotaxis to approach...

... interactions change rapidly as growth and development alter bladder dimensions and otolith–bladder distance. We used computed tomography imagery of lab-reared larval red drum ( Sciaenops ocellatus ) in a finite-element model to assess ontogenetic changes in acoustic pressure sensitivity in response to a plane...

...Kaleb C. Sellers; Kevin M. Middleton; Julian L. Davis; Casey M. Holliday ABSTRACT Three-dimensional computational modeling offers tools with which to investigate forces experienced by the skull during feeding and other behaviors. American alligators ( Alligator mississippiensis ) generate some...

... on these findings, we developed a forward-dynamic model of propulsion in free swimming that accurately predicted changes in the body's center of mass over time. For both tethered and free swimming, we used non-linear optimization algorithms to determine the force coefficients that best matched our measurements...

.... Several studies have shown that species with large olfactory recesses tend to have a well-developed sense of smell. However, no study has investigated how the size of the olfactory recess relates to air circulation near the olfactory epithelium. Here we used a computer model of the nasal cavity from a bat...

...J. Chen; W. O. Friesen; T. Iwasaki SUMMARY Swimming of fish and other animals results from interactions of rhythmic body movements with the surrounding fluid. This paper develops a model for the body–fluid interaction in undulatory swimming of leeches, where the body is represented by a chain...

... are good predictors of bite force across a wide range of species using a modeling approach. Model calculations of bite force show good correspondence with in vivo data suggesting that they can be used to estimate performance of the cranial system. Moreover, our data show that bite force is strikingly well...

... proximally than the proximal face. Using quantitative geometric models based on this natural morphology, we show that this inversion of insertion points serves to equalize strains across the muscle such that at any gape angle all fibers in the muscle are operating at similar positions on their length–tension...

... could contribute to the self-stabilizing behavior. We imposed large, dorsal-ventrally directed impulsive perturbations to isolated hind legs having both a fixed and free body–coxa joint and measured their recovery. We tested a frequency-independent hysteretic damping model that effectively predicted...

...Daniel M. Dudek; Robert J. Full SUMMARY While the dynamics of running arthropods have been modeled as a spring-mass system, no such structures have been discovered that store and return energy during bouncing. The hindleg of the cockroach Blaberus discoidalis is a good candidate for a passive...

..., including choosing experimental models, guiding data collection, improving data interpretations and constructing more rigorous system models. Finally, we conclude with an invitation for physiologists, applied mathematicians and physicists to collaborate on describing, studying and learning from studies...

...Amanda Felder; Samuel R. Ward; Richard L. Lieber SUMMARY The use of sarcomere length to normalize fiber length in architectural studies is commonly practiced but has not been explicitly validated. Using mouse hindlimb muscles as a model system, ankle joints were intentionally set to angles ranging...

...Andrew M. Carroll; Peter C. Wainwright; Stephen H. Huskey; David C. Collar; Ralph G. Turingan SUMMARY Suction feeding fish differ in their capacity to generate subambient pressure while feeding, and these differences appear to relate to morphological variation. We developed a morphological model...

...R. J. Full; D. E. Koditschek ABSTRACT Locomotion results from complex, high-dimensional, non-linear, dynamically coupled interactions between an organism and its environment. Fortunately, simple models we call templates have been and can be made to resolve the redundancy of multiple legs, joints...