A note on the function of the tail in the Macropodinae

Kawata, Ken

doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1971.tb01833.x

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…The tail exerts very little braking force but generates a large propulsive force-as much as the front and hind limbs combined ( p ¼ 0.08, paired t-test) (figure 2a). The lone role previously attributed to the tail during pentapedal gait was body-weight support [3,5]. Indeed, we find the tail exerts appreciable vertical force on the ground, although it only contributes 13.6 + 1.0% (mean + s.d.)…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…This unique use of a tail has long been of scientific interest [3,5,6], with much speculation as to whether the tail functions as an additional leg during pentapedal locomotion [7][8][9]. Kangaroo tails appear to be biomechanically and physiologically capable structures-the tail muscles are much larger than the muscles of the front limbs and they are dense with mitochondria suggesting a large aerobic capacity [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The kangaroo's tail propels and powers pentapedal locomotion

et al. 2014

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When moving slowly, kangaroos plant their tail on the ground in sequence with their front and hind legs. To determine the tail's role in this 'pentapedal' gait, we measured the forces the tail exerts on the ground and calculated the mechanical power it generates. We found that the tail is responsible for as much propulsive force as the front and hind legs combined. It also generates almost exclusively positive mechanical power, performing as much mass-specific mechanical work as does a human leg during walking at the same speed. Kangaroos use their muscular tail to support, propel and power their pentapedal gait just like a leg.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 55%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The kangaroo's tail propels and powers pentapedal locomotion

et al. 2014

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“…Bipedal hopping is one kind of terrestrial locomotion adopted by a few mammals (kangaroos, wallabies, and kangaroo rats et al). All these mammals have remarkably similar limb morphology; in addition, they have very long tails, used to maintain stability [163,165,262,263]. The importance of tail is also mentioned in high speed locomotion of cheetahs, that includes rapid acceleration, rapid break, rapid turning, and balancing [264][265][266][267][268][269].…”

Section: Aerial Righting By Way Of Inertiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Jumping Locomotion Strategies: From Animals to Bioinspired Robots

Mo,

Ge,

Miraglia

et al. 2020

Applied Sciences

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Jumping is a locomotion strategy widely evolved in both invertebrates and vertebrates. In addition to terrestrial animals, several aquatic animals are also able to jump in their specific environments. In this paper, the state of the art of jumping robots has been systematically analyzed, based on their biological model, including invertebrates (e.g., jumping spiders, locusts, fleas, crickets, cockroaches, froghoppers and leafhoppers), vertebrates (e.g., frogs, galagoes, kangaroos, humans, dogs), as well as aquatic animals (e.g., both invertebrates and vertebrates, such as crabs, water-striders, and dolphins). The strategies adopted by animals and robots to control the jump (e.g., take-off angle, take-off direction, take-off velocity and take-off stability), aerial righting, land buffering, and resetting are concluded and compared. Based on this, the developmental trends of bioinspired jumping robots are predicted.

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Walking on five legs: investigating tail use during slow gait in kangaroos and wallabies

et al. 2015

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Pentapedal locomotion is the use of the tail as a fifth leg during the slow gait of kangaroos. Although previous studies have informally noted that some smaller species of macropodines do not engage in pentapedal locomotion, a systematic comparative analysis of tail use during slow gait across a wide range of species in this group has not been done. Analysis of relative movement of the pelvis, tail, and joint angles of the lower limbs during slow gait, using 2D landmark techniques on video recordings, was carried out on 16 species of Macropodinae. We also compared the relative lengthening of the tibia using crural index (CI) to test whether hindlimb morphology was associated with pentapedal locomotion. Pentapedal locomotion was characterised by three features: the presence of the ‘tail repositioning phase’, the constant height of the pelvis and the stationary placement of the distal tail on the ground during the hindlimb swing phase. The mean CI of pentapedal species was significantly greater than that of non-pentapedal species (1.71 versus 1.36; P < 0.001). This lends support to the hypothesis that the use of pentapedal locomotion is associated with the relative lengthening of the hindlimb, which in turn is associated with body size and habitat preference within the Macropodinae.

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A note on the function of the tail in the Macropodinae

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

The kangaroo's tail propels and powers pentapedal locomotion

The kangaroo's tail propels and powers pentapedal locomotion

Jumping Locomotion Strategies: From Animals to Bioinspired Robots

Walking on five legs: investigating tail use during slow gait in kangaroos and wallabies

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