Abstract
THE mode of locomotion of the hopping mouse can be compared with that of the kangaroo moving bipedally at speed. Because the latter cannot be monitored due to technical difficulties, I have used the hopping mouse in a study of the energetics of this type of locomotion at speeds of 0.5–7 km h−1. I found that at 2.5–3 km h−1, the stride frequency stabilised, as did steady-state oxygen consumption. Above 5 km h−1 oxygen consumption again increased although stride frequency did not. The result of this pattern was that the costs of hopping in Notomys cervinus were markedly below those predicted for a quadruped. The overall pattern had similarities with those displayed by kangaroos1.
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References
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DAWSON, T. Energetic cost of locomotion in Australian hopping mice. Nature 259, 305–307 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/259305a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/259305a0
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