predation | Biomechanics in the Wild

Colossal Predators: What does a Crocodile’s Bite Force and Jaw Shape say about its Diet?

Crocodiles have been an apex predator since the age of the dinosaurs, and there is no questioning what is keeping them at the top of the food chain: their jaws. A crocodile’s jaw is capable of snapping shut on their prey with extremely large forces. In fact, the American Saltwater Crocodile’s bite force is the strongest of all measured animals on the planet, weighing in at 3,700psi!

The question is: what attribute of the crocodile contributes most to this bite force?

The Biomechanical Blueprint: How Cheetahs’ Bodies Are Engineered for Speed

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest land animal on earth reaching speeds of over 60 miles per hour (29 m/s). The cheetah is native to Africa and parts of the Middle East and is a predator of the impala, along with several other prey animals of the Savannah and Middle East. The biomechanics of the cheetah can help us understand how to create such high speeds in biological organisms and how to protect the body against high acceleration and decelerations.

The Fastest Animal in the World?

The Dracula Ant or Mystrium Camillae is the fastest animal in the world thanks to its spring loaded snap which travels over 200 miles per hour or 90 meters per second. In this video we briefly explore how this is possible.

Secrets of the Rapid Snapping Mechanism of a Venus Fly Trap

Dionea Muscipula, also known as the Venus Fly Trap, is universally considered an interesting and eye-catching plant. Most people are fascinated by its ability to snap its lobes closed around prey, allowing it to then chemically dissolve the trapped animal and subsequently absorb nutrients from its body. What most people fail to realize is the incredible amount of biomechanics required for this plant to survive. Not only is this information useful and interesting to know, but it is crucial for scientists to better understand how plants can respond to physical stimuli.

Staying airborne: How bird wings are built for aerodynamic and efficient flight

Flight is a concept that has, until relatively recently in history, eluded humanity. However, birds have been successfully flying for approximately 130 million years, proving themselves to be a physical marvel of the natural world. And while our means of flight have historically been crude in design and performance, nature provides an elegant, efficient solution to get creatures off of the ground. Rüppell’s griffon vultures have been recorded flying as high as 37,000 ft, while some species of shorebirds have been recorded flying as far as from Alaska to New Zealand over eight days without stopping. But how exactly do birds seem to effortlessly overcome gravity so effectively? And perhaps more importantly, how might we apply these answers to improve manmade aircraft?

Swimming Fast and Slow: What We Know About the Sailfish’s Iconic Fin

Sailfish, or Istiophorus platypterus, are one of the most recognizable fishes in the ocean due to their large sail-like dorsal fin. But, did you know that they are also iconic because they are one of the fastest swimmers in the ocean?

Down to the Bear Bones: How Polar Bears evolved from Grizzlies to hunt in the Arctic

Katmai National Park in Alaska holds an annual “Fat Bear Week”, in which Twitter followers are asked to vote for the fattest bear in the park. This year’s winner was Holly, somewhere in the range of 500 to 700 lbs. That’s a big bear. However, in 1960, a male polar bear in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, weighed in at 2,209 lbs. In fact, on average, polar bears weight up to 60% more than Grizzly bears, their closest animal relative.

Fish in Flight: The Science Behind Great White Breach Attacks on Cape Fur Seals

If you’ve ever turned on Discovery channel during Shark Week, then you’ve probably seen the iconic footage of a 2.5-ton great white shark leaping out of the water to catch its next meal. If you’re weird like me and you’ve ever tried to mimic one of these epic breaches in a backyard pool, then you realize just how difficult it is to generate enough momentum to jump even partway out of the water and therefore have a real appreciation for what it takes to pull off this incredible feat.

Archerfish: Nature’s Master Marksmen

The name archerfish refers to seven species of freshwater fish that are all members of the Toxotes genus. These fish derive their name from their ability to hunt land-based creatures, ranging from insects to small lizards, using jets of water shot from their mouth with remarkable accuracy. They only grow to a maximum of a foot long, but they’ve been recorded in the wild propelling their water jets distances of up to two meters. A recent study in the Journal of Experimental Biology was conducted by Stephan Schuster to investigate the mechanics behind their unorthodox hunting technique.

How the Mantis Shrimp Packs its Punch

The mantis shrimp, a six inch long crustacean residing in the warm waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans, may look harmless with its rainbow shell, but it is able punch its prey with the same acceleration as a 0.22 caliber bullet, providing around 1500 newtons of force with each blow. The mantis shrimp can shatter the glass of aquariums, catch and kill their prey with minimal effort, and punches so fast that cavitation bubbles form behind their hammer-like clubs. Cavitation bubbles are pockets of low pressure air that form when a liquid is moved faster than it can react, and collapse with tremendous heat and force—enough to crack the shells of other crustaceans or even a glass bottle.

Tag: predation