Energy dissipation in the elastic recoil of leg tendons of Larus ridibundus

Cycles of tension and recoil were given to different tendons of black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) in an Instron universal testing machine. It is shown that a large proportion of the energy elastically stored in straining is released upon recoil, ranging the energy lost (dissipation energy) between 8 and 13%. These results are in complete agreement with those published in the literature on mammals and birds that can be considered as the most accurate.