Estimates have been made of the forces which act in major joints of various arthropods and vertebrates, in strenuous activities. Over the range of size from fleas to dinosaurs, joint forces tend to be roughly proportional to (body mass)-1/3. The maximum stresses which occur in joints are probably of the same order of magnitude in mammals of all sizes and also in insects of all sizes, but the stresses in insects are probably larger than the stresses in mammals and other vertebrates.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AlexanderR. McN. (1969) Mechanics of the feeding action of a cyprinid fish. J. Zool., 159, 1–15.
2.
AlexanderR. McN. (1973) Muscle performance in locomotion and other strenuous activities. In BolisL.MaddrellS. H. P.Schmidt-NielsenK.Comparative physiology, pp 1–22, North Holland, Amsterdam.
3.
AlexanderR. McN. (1974) The mechanics of jumping by a dog (Canis familiaris). J. Zool., 173, 549–573.
4.
AlexanderR. McN. (1976) Estimates of speeds of dinosaurs. Nature, 261, 129–130.
5.
AlexanderR. McN. (1980) Forces on the vertebral column in animals other than man. Conference Engineering aspects of the spine. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London.
6.
AlexanderR. McN.JayesA. S.MaloiyG. M. O.WathutaE. M. (1979). Allometry of the limb bones of mammals from shrews (Sorex) to elephant (Loxodonta). J. Zool., 189, 305–14.
7.
AlexanderR. McN.MaloiyG. M. O.HunterB.JayesA. S.NturibiJ. (1979) Mechanical stresses in fast locomotion of buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and elephant (Loxodonta africana). J. Zool., 189, 135–144.
8.
AlexanderR. McN.MaloiyG. M. O.NjauR.JayesA. S. (1979) Mechanics of running of the ostrich (Struthio camelus). J. Zool., 187, 169–178.
9.
AlexanderR. McN.VernonA. (1975a) The mechanics of hopping by kangaroos (Macropodidae). J. Zool., 177, 265–303.
10.
AlexanderR. McN.VernonA. (1975b) The dimensions of knee and ankle muscles and the forces they exert. Journal of Human Movement Studies, 1, 115–123.
11.
BélandP.RussellD. A. (1976) Running dinosaurs. Nature, 264, 486.
12.
Bennet-ClarkH. C. (1975) The energetics of the jump of the locust Schistocerca gregaria. J. exp. Biol., 63, 53–83.
13.
Bennet-ClarkH. C.LuceyE. C. A. (1967) The jump of the flea: A study of the energetics and a model of the mechanism. J. exp. Biol., 47, 59–76.
14.
BrownS. C.CassutoS. R.LoosR. W. (1979) Biomechanics of chelipeds in some decapod crustaceans. J. Zool., 188, 143–159.
15.
CalowL. J.AlexanderR. McN. (1973) A mechanical analysis of a hind leg of a frog (Rana temporaria). J. Zool., 171, 293–321.
16.
EvansM. E. G. (1973) The jump of the click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) — energetics and mechanics. J. Zool., 169, 181–194.
17.
EvansM. E. G. (1977) Locomotion in the Coleoptera Adephaga, especially Carabidae. J. Zool., 181, 189–226.
18.
Hall-CraggsE. C. B. (1965) An analysis of the jump of the Lesser Galago (Galago senegalensis). J. Zool., 147, 20–29.
19.
HeitlerW. J. (1974) The locust jump. Specialisations of the metathoracic femoral-tibial joint. J. comp. Physiol., 89, 93–104.
20.
KerR. F. (1977) Some structural and mechanical properties of locust and beetle cuticle. DPhil thesis, University of Oxford.
21.
MorrisJ. M.LucasD. B.BreslerB. (1961) Role of the trunk in stability of the spine. J. Bone Jt. Surg., 43A, 327–351.
22.
ParryD. A.BrownR. H. J. (1959) The hydraulic mechanism of the spider leg. J. exp. Biol., 36, 423–433.
23.
PrangeH. D. (1977) The scaling and mechanics of arthropod exoskeletons. In Scale effects in animal locomotion, edited by PedleyT. J., Academic Press, London.
24.
PreushoftH.FritzM. (1977) Mechanische Beanspruchungen im Bewegungsapparat von Springpferden. Fortschritte für Zoologie, 24 (Heft 2–3), 75–98.
25.
SmithA. J. (1975) Estimates of muscle and joint forces at the knee and ankle during a jumping activity. Journal of human Movement Studies, 1, 78–86.
26.
WalkerP. S. (1977) Human joints and their artificial replacements. Thomas, Springfield Illinois.
