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Increasing Dietary Breadth Through Allometry: Bite Forces In Sympatric Australian Skinks, Domenic D'Amore, David Meadows, Simon Clulow, Jeremiah Sean Doody, David Rhind, Colin Mchenry

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Ecomechanical measures of performance such as bite force may function as an indirect measure of niche. This study proposes that allometric changes in performance may contribute to niche separation, especially in a group where the specific mechanism(s) remains unclear. We surveyed the bite force and morphology of 5 wild caught, sympatric skink species in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Skinks were collected from trapline fences, weighed, photographed, and maximum bite force was measured with a piezoresistive force sensor. Morphological metrics were derived from photographs of the dorsum. Normalized morphological traits indicate interspecific variability in form, particularly in forelimb length, …