The Energetic Cost of Limbless Locomotion
@article{Walton1990TheEC,
title={The Energetic Cost of Limbless Locomotion},
author={Michael Walton and Bruce C. Jayne and Albert F. Bennet},
journal={Science},
year={1990},
volume={249},
pages={524 - 527}
}The net energetic cost of terrestrial locomotion by the snake Coluber constrictor, moving by lateral undulation, is equivalent to the net energetic cost of running by limbed animals (arthropods, lizards, birds, and mammals) of similar size. In contrast to lateral undulation and limbed locomotion, concertina locomotion by Coluber is more energetically expensive. The findings do not support the widely held notion that the energetic cost of terrestrial locomotion by limbless animals is less than…
120 Citations
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