Pendular mechanics and the kinematics and energetics of brachiating locomotion |
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Authors: | Sharon M Swartz |
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Institution: | (1) Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of Chicago, 1025 East 57th Street, 60637 Chicago, Illinois;(2) Present address: Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, 02912 Providence, Rhode Island |
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Abstract: | Because brachiating locomotion is characterized by a pattern of swinging movements, brachiation has often been analogized
to pendular motion, and aspects of the mechanics of pendular systems have been used to provide insight into both energetic
and structural design aspects of this locomotor mode. However, there are several limitations to this approach. First, the
motions of brachiating animals only approximate pendular motion, and therefore the energetics of these two systems are only
roughly comparable. Second, the kinematic similarity between brachiation and pendular motion will be maximal at only one velocity,
and the correspondence will be even less at greater or lesser speeds. Third, all forms of terrestrial locomotion that involve
the use of limbs incorporate elements of pendular systems, and therefore brachiation is not unusual in this respect. Finally,
it has been suggested that the mechanics of pendular motion will constrain the maximum attainable body size of brachiating
animals and that this mechanical situation explains the lack of brachiating primates of greater than 30-kg body size; the
present analysis provides evidence that the constraints on body size are far less strict than previously indicated and that
extrinsic factors such as the geometry of the forest environment are more likely to dictate maximum body size for brachiators. |
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Keywords: | locomotion biomechanics brachiation energetics |
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