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Fast actions in small animals: springs and click mechanisms

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Abstract

Small animals that jump or perform predatory strikes depend on much higher limb accelerations than larger animals. To overcome the temporal restrictions of muscle contraction, some arthropod muscles slowly load spring-like structures with potential energy. In flight, sound generation, jumping, or predatory strikes arthropods employ different strategies to transform muscular action to the desired movement. Click mechanisms control the frequency of oscillating spring — muscle systems while other accessory structures such as snap mechanism or latches with trigger mucles determined the stability and control the timing of the instantaneous discharge in catapult mechanisms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Theodor Boveri Institut, Lehrstuhl für Verhaltensphysiologie und Soziobiologie der Universität Würzburg, D-97074, Am Hubland, Würzburg, Germany

    W. Gronenberg

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  1. W. Gronenberg
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Gronenberg, W. Fast actions in small animals: springs and click mechanisms. J Comp Physiol A 178, 727–734 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00225821

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