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Seeing Terrestrial Avian Locomotion with X‐ray Eyes
Author(s) -
Kambic Robert,
Gatesy Stephen
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.79.2
Subject(s) - terrestrial locomotion , kinematics , biology , rotation (mathematics) , anatomy , evolutionary biology , geology , computer science , computer vision , physics , classical mechanics
Birds, like humans, are obligate bipeds. Although most can fly, many birds are able walkers and runners. Avian terrestrial locomotion has implications for understanding structure and function in organisms, reconstructing how extinct dinosaurs lived, and pathological models. However, until recently, studying avian locomotion has been hampered by our inability to accurately measure joint and bone motion. Here we present 3‐D kinematics data from a chicken‐like bird, the helmeted guineafowl ( Numida meleagris ), using a new motion analysis method known as XROMM (X‐ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology). XROMM combines CT or laser‐scanned bone models with bi‐planar fluoroscopy to reconstruct six‐degree of freedom motion for skeletal elements. These highly accurate animations provide our first look at how birds move in 3‐D. We find that long axis rotation of the femur and tibiotarsus is an important and underappreciated component of both steady and maneuvering locomotion. Understanding this rotation is critical to understanding how birds move through their environment, how hind limbs are designed, and how extinct theropods may have moved. Grant Funding Source : NSF