Locomotion dynamics of hunting in wild cheetahs

Wilson, Alan M.; Lowe, John C.; Roskilly, Kyle; Hudson, Peter; Golabek, Krystyna A.; McNutt, J. Weldon

doi:10.1038/nature12295

Cited by 327 publications

(288 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…We have shown that for quolls the coefficient of friction is high relative to that of ponies (0.6-0.7), and even cheetahs (1.3) running over compliant grassed surfaces (Tan and Wilson, 2010;Wilson et al, 2013). This may be due in part to the thin rubber matting used on the racetrack in our study, but is also likely to be due to the soft pads and long claws found on the hindfeet and forefeet of northern quolls.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Running faster causes disaster: trade-offs between speed, manoeuvrability and motor control when running around corners in northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus)

Wynn

Clemente

Nasir

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Movement speed is fundamental to all animal behaviour, yet no general framework exists for understanding why animals move at the speeds they do. Even during fitness-defining behaviours like running away from predators, an animal should select a speed that balances the benefits of high speed against the increased probability of mistakes. In this study, we explored this idea by quantifying trade-offs between speed, manoeuvrability and motor control in wild northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) -a medium-sized carnivorous marsupial native to northern Australia. First, we quantified how running speed affected the probability of crashes when rounding corners of 45, 90 and 135 deg. We found that the faster an individual approached a turn, the higher the probability that they would crash, and these risks were greater when negotiating tighter turns. To avoid crashes, quolls modulated their running speed when they moved through turns of varying angles. Average speed for quolls when sprinting along a straight path was around 4.5 m s −1 but this decreased linearly to speeds of around 1.5 m s −1 when running through 135 deg turns. Finally, we explored how an individual's morphology affects their manoeuvrability. We found that individuals with larger relative foot sizes were more manoeuvrable than individuals with smaller relative foot sizes. Thus, movement speed, even during extreme situations like escaping predation, should be based on a compromise between high speed, manoeuvrability and motor control. We advocate that optimal -rather than maximal -performance capabilities underlie fitnessdefining behaviours such as escaping predators and capturing prey.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Running faster causes disaster: trade-offs between speed, manoeuvrability and motor control when running around corners in northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus)

Wynn

Clemente

Nasir

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…To our knowledge, reliable direct measurements of maximum running speed of ostriches do not exist, despite widespread popular reports of maximum speeds reaching 20-27 m s −1 (45-60 mph). Recent GPS-IMU tracking has allowed direct confirmation of the remarkable top speeds of hunting wild cheetahs (25.9 m s −1 , 59 mph; Wilson et al, 2013). It would be useful to similarly track wild ostriches over extended periods to better relate lab-based measures of locomotor dynamics to those used during foraging, migration and predator escape in the wild.…”

Section: Maximum Running Speeds In Ostrichesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, recent advances in global-positioning systeminertial measurement unit (GPS-IMU) sensing loggers provide a promising new tool for understanding animal locomotor dynamics and behaviour over a broad range of conditions, including long-term field studies and predator-prey interactions (e.g. Wilson et al, 2013;Hubel et al, 2016). The goals of the current study were to (1) develop quantitative methods for measuring detailed bipedal gait dynamics using GPS-IMU sensors and (2) use these methods to measure self-selected gait-speed distributions and walk-run transition speeds in freely moving ostriches in a field-laboratory setting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preferred gait and walk–run transition speeds in ostriches measured using GPS-IMU sensors

Daley

Channon

Nolan

et al. 2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is widely appreciated as a fast and agile bipedal athlete, and is a useful comparative bipedal model for human locomotion. Here, we used GPS-IMU sensors to measure naturally selected gait dynamics of ostriches roaming freely over a wide range of speeds in an open field and developed a quantitative method for distinguishing walking and running using accelerometry. We compared freely selected gait-speed distributions with previous laboratory measures of gait dynamics and energetics. We also measured the walk-run and run-walk transition speeds and compared them with those reported for humans. We found that ostriches prefer to walk remarkably slowly, with a narrow walking speed distribution consistent with minimizing cost of transport (CoT) according to a rigid-legged walking model. The dimensionless speeds of the walk-run and run-walk transitions are slower than those observed in humans. Unlike humans, ostriches transition to a run well below the mechanical limit necessitating an aerial phase, as predicted by a compass-gait walking model. When running, ostriches use a broad speed distribution, consistent with previous observations that ostriches are relatively economical runners and have a flat curve for CoT against speed. In contrast, horses exhibit U-shaped curves for CoT against speed, with a narrow speed range within each gait for minimizing CoT. Overall, the gait dynamics of ostriches moving freely over natural terrain are consistent with previous labbased measures of locomotion. Nonetheless, ostriches, like humans, exhibit a gait-transition hysteresis that is not explained by steady-state locomotor dynamics and energetics. Further study is required to understand the dynamics of gait transitions.

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“…The focus is indeed generally on the escape strategies of the prey or on the foraging strategy of the predator, but very seldom of both. Hunting cheetahs are a good example [1]: we now know much about the kinematics and biomechanics of the predator during the chase, but information regarding the prey whereabouts is nearly non-existent, and information about the terrain in which the interaction occurs is systematically absent. The same applies to other predator -prey interactions with very different animals in very different environments: for penguins chasing krill for example [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Succession of hide–seek and pursuit–evasion at heterogeneous locations

Gal

Casas

2014

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Many interactions between searching agents and their elusive targets are composed of a succession of steps, whether in the context of immune systems, predation or counterterrorism. In the simplest case, a two-step process starts with a search-and-hide phase, also called a hide-and-seek phase, followed by a round of pursuit-escape. Our aim is to link these two processes, usually analysed separately and with different models, in a single game theory context. We define a matrix game in which a searcher looks at a fixed number of discrete locations only once each searching for a hider, which can escape with varying probabilities according to its location. The value of the game is the overall probability of capture after k looks. The optimal search and hide strategies are described. If a searcher looks only once into any of the locations, an optimal hider chooses it's hiding place so as to make all locations equally attractive. This optimal strategy remains true as long as the number of looks is below an easily calculated threshold; however, above this threshold, the optimal position for the hider is where it has the highest probability of escaping once spotted.

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Locomotion dynamics of hunting in wild cheetahs

Cited by 327 publications

References 29 publications

Running faster causes disaster: trade-offs between speed, manoeuvrability and motor control when running around corners in northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus)

Running faster causes disaster: trade-offs between speed, manoeuvrability and motor control when running around corners in northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus)

Preferred gait and walk–run transition speeds in ostriches measured using GPS-IMU sensors

Succession of hide–seek and pursuit–evasion at heterogeneous locations

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