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Femoral Loading Mechanics In The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana): Torsion And Mediolateral Bending In Mammalian Locomotion, W. Casey Gosnell, Michael T. Butcher, Takashi Maie, Richard W. Blob
Femoral Loading Mechanics In The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana): Torsion And Mediolateral Bending In Mammalian Locomotion, W. Casey Gosnell, Michael T. Butcher, Takashi Maie, Richard W. Blob
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Studies of limb bone loading in terrestrial mammals have typically found anteroposterior bending to be the primary loading regime, with torsion contributing minimally. However, previous studies have focused on large, cursorial eutherian species in which the limbs are held essentially upright. Recent in vivo strain data from the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), a marsupial that uses a crouched rather than an upright limb posture, have indicated that its femur experiences appreciable torsion during locomotion as well as strong mediolateral bending. The elevated femoral torsion and strong mediolateral bending observed in D. virginiana might result from external forces such as a …
Locomotor Loading Mechanics In The Hindlimbs Of Tegu Lizards (Tupinambis Merinae): Comparitive And Evolutionary Implications, K. Megan Sheffield, Michael T. Butcher, S. Katherine Shugart, Jennifer C. Gander, Richard W. Blob
Locomotor Loading Mechanics In The Hindlimbs Of Tegu Lizards (Tupinambis Merinae): Comparitive And Evolutionary Implications, K. Megan Sheffield, Michael T. Butcher, S. Katherine Shugart, Jennifer C. Gander, Richard W. Blob
Publications
Skeletal elements are usually able to withstand several times their usual load before they yield, and this ratio is known as the bone's safety factor. Limited studies on amphibians and non-avian reptiles have shown that they have much higher limb bone safety factors than birds and mammals. It has been hypothesized that this difference is related to the difference in posture between upright birds and mammals and sprawling ectotherms; however, limb bone loading data from a wider range of sprawling species are needed in order to determine whether the higher safety factors seen in amphibians and non-avian reptiles are ancestral …