title: Size-related changes in foot impact mechanics in hoofed mammals.
abstract: Foot-ground impact is mechanically challenging for all animals, but how do large animals mitigate increased mass during foot impact? We hypothesized that impact force amplitude scales according to isometry in animals of increasing size through allometric scaling of related impact parameters. To test this, we measured limb kinetics and kinematics in 11 species of hoofed mammals ranging from 18-3157 kg body mass. We found impact force amplitude to be maintained proportional to size in hoofed mammals, but that other features of foot impact exhibit differential scaling patterns depending on the limb; forelimb parameters typically exhibit higher intercepts with lower scaling exponents than hind limb parameters. Our explorations of the size-related consequences of foot impact advance understanding of how body size influences limb morphology and function, foot design and locomotor behaviour.
authors: Structure and Motion Laboratory, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. swarner@rvc.ac.uk
authors: Sharon Elaine
authors: SE
authors: Warner
authors: Phillip
authors: P
authors: Pickering
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Panagiotopoulou
authors: Thilo
authors: T
authors: Pfau
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Ren
authors: John Richard
authors: JR
authors: Hutchinson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D049628:Body Size; D006724:Hoof and Claw / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008322:Mammals; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009929:Organ Size
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