Brooke Christensen has published a new research paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology, ‘Elastic energy storage across speeds during steady-state hopping of desert kangaroo rats (Dipdomys desert). https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.242954
Using species-specific elastic modulus values, Christensen et al. reveal that the ankle extensor tendons of these small bipedal hoppers cycle elastic energy in proportion to hopping speed, storing more energy at faster speeds. The results offer novel evidence of functionally similar energy storage mechanisms across small and large bipedal hoppers, irrespective of body size.
