Locomotor performance and cost of transport in the northern flying squirrelGlaucomys sabrinus

Scheibe, John S.; Smith, Winston P.; Bassham, Jill; Magness, Dawn R.

doi:10.1007/bf03192668

Cited by 39 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In a study describing the kinematics of two southern flying squirrels Glaucomys volans, glides from both animals were shorter and significantly steeper after moving to a new test arena (Bishop, 2006). However, our measured glide angles improved with increasing range (Fig.·7) and are comparable with similar distance results from two field studies of northern flying squirrels (Vernes, 2001;Scheibe et al, 2006), so it is more likely a consequence of the need for this species (the larger of the two North American species) to reach a higher velocity before it is able to exhibit superior aerodynamic performance. Average glide velocities measured in this study increased with range as would be expected.…”

Section: Gliding Performancesupporting

confidence: 81%

“…This would help to explain why field observations of northern flying squirrels have reported significantly better glide ratios. In Alaska, USA, Scheibe et al evaluated 168 glides from 82 different squirrels with mean glide distances of 12.46·m and 14.39·m in successive years, and corresponding mean glide angles were 41.31° and 36.31° (Scheibe et al, 2006). Vernes reports a mean angle of descent of just 26.8° for glides which were longer, averaging 16.4·m (Vernes, 2001).…”

Section: Gliding Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately the squirrels could not be persuaded to land on the pole above the relatively small horizontal range of 2.5·m, compared to their normal arboreal glide distances (Vernes, 2001;Scheibe et al, 2006), choosing instead to deliberately manoeuvre past the landing pole and land on the floor. It is possible that the squirrels may have a sense for a maximum speed at which they can safely or comfortably land on a stiff or unknown substrate for a given approach angle.…”

Section: Landingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The squirrel can jump and glide from one tree to the next, enabling it to cover greater distances within the canopy more quickly than would be possible by climbing down and moving across the forest floor. An alternative suggestion was that, rather than reducing cost of transport, gliding may offer a means of foraging over a larger area in a certain time, making flying squirrels better able to exploit a patchy food resource than non-gliders of similar size (Scheibe et al, 2006). The third hypothesis is that gliding evolved primarily as an escape mechanism (Scheibe et al, 1990;Keith et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Take-off and landing forces and the evolution of controlled gliding in northern flying squirrelsGlaucomys sabrinus

Paskins

Bowyer

Megill

et al. 2007

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Flying squirrels are well known for their ability to glide between trees at the top of a forest canopy. We present experimental performance and behavioural evidence that flight in flying squirrels may have evolved out of a need to control landing forces. Northern flying squirrels were filmed jumping from a horizontal branch to a much larger vertical pole. These were both slightly compliant (less than 1.9 mm N–1), and instrumented using strain gauges so that forces could be measured. Take-off and landing forces were both positively correlated with horizontal range between 0.5 and 2.5 m (r=0.355 and r=0.811, respectively, P<0.05), but not significantly different to each other at each range tested. Take-off forces ranged from 1 to 10 bodyweights, and landing forces were between 3 and 10 bodyweights. Glide angles increased rapidly with horizontal range, approaching 45° at 3 m, above which they gradually decreased, suggesting that northern flying squirrels are optimised for long distance travel. We show that northern flying squirrels initiate full gliding posture at ranges of less than 1 m, without landing any higher than an equivalent ballistic projectile. However, this gliding posture enables them to pitch upwards, potentially stalling the wing, and spreads the landing reaction force over all four extended limbs. At steeper approach angles of close to 45°, flying squirrels were unable to pitch up sufficiently and landed forelimbs first, consequently sustaining higher impact forces. We investigate four hypotheses to explain the origin of flight in these animals and conclude that the need to reduce landing impact forces was most likely to have stimulated the development of aerial control in flying squirrels.

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Section: Gliding Performancesupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Gliding Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Landingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Take-off and landing forces and the evolution of controlled gliding in northern flying squirrelsGlaucomys sabrinus

Paskins

Bowyer

Megill

et al. 2007

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…First, gliding is a rapid form of locomotion. Time itself is a salient pressure that shapes behavior (Dunbar and Dunbar, 1988;Dunbar, 1992) and by gliding, colugos, like other gliders (Goldingay, 1989;Comport et al, 1996;Scheibe et al, 2006), minimize the time spent travelling between foraging trees. In contrast, moving through the canopy is slow and indirect, with narrow, often compliant substrates that must be negotiated at the terminal branches of trees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gliding saves time but not energy in Malayan colugos

Byrnes

Libby

Lim

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Gliding is thought to be an economical form of locomotion. However, few data on the climbing and gliding of free-ranging gliding mammals are available. This study employed an animal-borne three-dimensional acceleration data-logging system to collect continuous data on the climbing and gliding of free-ranging Malayan colugos, Galeopterus variegatus. We combined these movement data with empirical estimates of the metabolic costs to move horizontally or vertically to test this long-standing hypothesis by determining whether the metabolic cost to climb to sufficient height to glide a given distance was less than the cost to move an equivalent distance horizontally through the canopy. On average, colugos climb a short distance to initiate glides. However, due to the high energetic cost of climbing, gliding is more energetically costly to move a given horizontal distance than would be predicted for an animal travelling the same distance through the canopy. Furthermore, because colugos spend a small fraction of their time engaged in locomotor activity, the high costs have little effect on their overall energy budget. As a result, the energetic economy hypothesis for the origins of gliding is not supported. It is likely that other ecologically relevant factors have played a greater role in the origins of gliding in colugos and other mammals.

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Relationship between lianas and arboreal mammals: examining the Emmons–Gentry hypothesis

Lambert

Halsey

2014

Ecology of Lianas

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Locomotor performance and cost of transport in the northern flying squirrelGlaucomys sabrinus

Cited by 39 publications

References 21 publications

Take-off and landing forces and the evolution of controlled gliding in northern flying squirrelsGlaucomys sabrinus

Take-off and landing forces and the evolution of controlled gliding in northern flying squirrelsGlaucomys sabrinus

Gliding saves time but not energy in Malayan colugos

Relationship between lianas and arboreal mammals: examining the Emmons–Gentry hypothesis

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