BIO 1130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Quadrupedalism, Tetrapod, Shoulder Girdle

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIO 1130
• Professor: Jon Houseman

Document Summary

An example of evolution: locomotion in cheetahs. Cheetah will catch their prey approx 50% of the time: 110km/h speed, deer around 60-90km/h. Human vs cheetah: usain bolt 100m in 9. 58sec, cheetah ran 100m in 6. 1sec. Morphology of the cheetah to consider (via video): next slides. Hind legs: motor of the cheetah. Generates speed, pushes animal forward: thin limbs = don"t have to carry a lot of weight = can go faster, pelvic girdle (pelvis) fused to the vertebral column (propulsion) Forelegs: scapula is on the side of the thoracic cage limits capacity for movement. Propulsion, orientation, stride length: if the limbs were attached to the vertebral column, the head would bob up and down during running, internal organs may be squished, etc. Limbs not attached to vertebral column allows the head to remain very still and focus on the prey: compensates for balance, stops animal from sliding to the side when turning (during running)