Comparative Anatomy and Physiology of Animals
Lecture 21 Physical movement – terrestrial locomotion 1 12/01/21
Background
- Zoopraxography- the science of animal locomotion.
- Started with Eadweard Muybridge (1872) trying to answer the question of whether a horse’s
all leave the floor when running, or if one of them is always on the floor.
Zoopraxography
- Involves the integration of different physiological systems.
- Musculoskeletal (force)
- Respiratory and circulatory (constant energy input).
- Nervous and endocrine (controls locomotion and the systems that support it).
- Understanding animal locomotion can help us improve our own means of transportation.
- All animals are mobile at some point in their life cycle.
- Reflects ecological niche and adaptations of that animals.
Muscles
- Movement is largely mediated by muscles.
- Muscles categorised as striated, smooth or cardiac according to their structure.
- Striated is the most common among animals.
- Due to interaction between actin and myosin. Muscles are composed of different fibres.
- In striated muscle, each fibre has distinct banding patterns.
- Myosin and actin filaments slide along each other, causing the length of the sarcomere to
shorten.
- Combined shortening of sarcomeres along the muscle causes the whole muscle to shorten.
Muscle geometry
- Convergent and circular.
- Fusiform and parallel- longitudinal.
- Unipennate, bipennate, and multipennate- pennate.
Resisting movement principles
- Requires force.
- Is energetically costly.
Invertebrate crawling
Lecture 21 Physical movement – terrestrial locomotion 1 12/01/21
Background
- Zoopraxography- the science of animal locomotion.
- Started with Eadweard Muybridge (1872) trying to answer the question of whether a horse’s
all leave the floor when running, or if one of them is always on the floor.
Zoopraxography
- Involves the integration of different physiological systems.
- Musculoskeletal (force)
- Respiratory and circulatory (constant energy input).
- Nervous and endocrine (controls locomotion and the systems that support it).
- Understanding animal locomotion can help us improve our own means of transportation.
- All animals are mobile at some point in their life cycle.
- Reflects ecological niche and adaptations of that animals.
Muscles
- Movement is largely mediated by muscles.
- Muscles categorised as striated, smooth or cardiac according to their structure.
- Striated is the most common among animals.
- Due to interaction between actin and myosin. Muscles are composed of different fibres.
- In striated muscle, each fibre has distinct banding patterns.
- Myosin and actin filaments slide along each other, causing the length of the sarcomere to
shorten.
- Combined shortening of sarcomeres along the muscle causes the whole muscle to shorten.
Muscle geometry
- Convergent and circular.
- Fusiform and parallel- longitudinal.
- Unipennate, bipennate, and multipennate- pennate.
Resisting movement principles
- Requires force.
- Is energetically costly.
Invertebrate crawling
