Giraffes’ long limbs may help them feed from tall tree canopies, but their extreme height may constrain their athletic capabilities.
Giraffes' long limbs may help them feed from tall tree canopies, but their extreme height may constrain their athletic capabilities. Musculoskeletal models reveal the impact of giraffe's long limbs on its mobility. New research from the RVC has revealed new insights into giraffe mobility and how the efficiency of movements in relation to body mass appears to plateau amongst animals of a certain size. These findings contradict what is commonly assumed for many mammals - that possessing long, straight limbs necessarily confers a mechanical advantage which enhances speed and muscle efficiency. The study, which was published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) , was conducted by creating 3D musculoskeletal models of the forelimbs of giraffes and two related species, the living okapi ( Okapia johnstoni) , known as the "forest giraffe" found in Central Africa, and the extinct Sivatherium giganteum , one of the largest known giraffes, from the Himalayan foothills more than two million years ago. The researchers then used motion capture and force data to measure muscle efficiency for walking giraffes while estimating the efficiency of the other two species. Christopher Basu and John Hutchinson collected motion and force data from walking giraffes, in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London, UK.
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