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A Stalheim-Smith

Publications and source records attributed to A Stalheim-Smith.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

Comparison of the muscle mechanics of the forelimb of three climbers.

The climbing behavior, muscle mechanics, and functional properties of selected forelimb muscles were examined to ascertain how three distantly related mammals may be adapted for climbing. To determine if features of the fox squirrel (Stalheim-Smith: J. Morphol. 180:55-68, '84) are general or unique features for a climber, two distantly related climbers, the raccoon (Procyon lotor) and the opossum (Didelphis virginiana), were studied. Muscle mechanics varied: the elbow flexors of the fox squirrel produced significantly more torque per unit mass than did the corresponding muscles of the opossum except at 80 degrees, but not more than the corresponding muscles of the raccoon. On the other hand, there were no statistically significant differences in torque per unit mass among the elbow extensors of the three climbers. Both elbow flexors and elbow extensor had faster contraction times and were more fatigable in the fox squirrel than in the opossum or in the raccoon. The data suggest that the musculoskeletal characteristics of the forelimbs of climbers vary according to behavioral, and possibly phylogenetic, differences.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Comparative study of the forelimbs of the semifossorial prairie dog, Cynomys gunnisoni, and the scansorial fox squirrel, Sciurus niger.

A comparative study of the forelimbs of the semifossorial prairie dog, Cynomys gunnisoni , and the scansorial tree squirrel, Sciurus niger, was focused on the musculoskeletal design for digging in the former and climbing in the latter. Based on lever arm mechanics, it was expected that the forelimb of the prairie dog would show features appropriate to the production of relatively large forces and that of the fox squirrel to relatively great velocity. Force and lever arm measurements were made of select forelimb muscles at the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints for a series of angles in both species. Contraction time and fatigue indexes were determined for the same forelimb muscles. Contrary to expectation, in the few cases in which significant (P less than .05) differences were found, the forces, lever arms, and torques (force times its lever arm) were greater in the smaller fox squirrel. The observed variation in the torques produced fits the demands on the forelimb during climbing and digging as estimated from films. Several forelimb muscles of the fox squirrel show significantly higher mean contraction times than do the homologous muscles of the prairie dog. There were no significant differences between the two species in the fatigability of the selected forelimb muscles, although the mean fatigue index was always higher (less fatigable muscle) in the prairie dog. Similarities in the forelimbs of these two sciurids suggest that only minor modifications may have been required of the ancestral forelimb in order for descendent forms to operate successfully as climbers and diggers .

Animals↗