John Hutchinson
Are fast moving elephants really running?
Webpage with information about the 2003 paper in Nature and follow-up research
by John R. Hutchinson and many collaborators
Despite their unseemly bulk, elephants can hit high speeds—but use an unusual style.
TECC elephant "Wannalee" at a fast clip (14 mph, 22 kph, or 6.2 m/s); a Froude number of 3.4, which was the highest dimensionless speed we ever measured for an elephant. Photo: Richard Lair.
NEW PAPER PUBLISHED ON THIS SUBJECT IN 2010- DETAILS HERE!
BBSRC grant agency press release: August 16, 2006 here
New papers expanding on or related to the original study:
- Ren, L., Miller, C., Lair, R., Hutchinson, J.R. 2010. Integration of biomechanical compliance, leverage, and power in elephant limbs. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA, Early Edition (online).
DETAILS HERE!
- Zioupos, P., Cook, R.B., Hutchinson, J.R. 2009. Response: More thoughts on the relationship between apparent and material densities in bone. Journal of Biomechanics 42:794-795. [pdf]
- Hutchinson, J.R. 2009. Response: Of ideas, dichotomies, methods, and data- how much do elephant kinematics differ from those of other large animals? Journal of Experimental Biology 212:153-154. [pdf]
- Zioupos, P., Cook, R.B., Hutchinson, J.R. 2008. Some basic relationships between cortical and cancellous bone. Journal of Biomechanics 41:1961-1968. [21.pdf]
- Hutchinson, J.R., C.E. Miller, G. Fritsch, T. Hildebrandt. 2008. The anatomical foundation for multidisciplinary studies of animal limb function: examples from dinosaur and elephant limb imaging studies. pp. 23-38 in H. Endo and R. Frey (eds.), Anatomical Imaging Techniques: Towards a New Morphology. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. [1.1pdf]
- Ren, L., M. Butler, C. Miller, D. Schwerda, M. Fischer, J.R. Hutchinson. 2008. The movements of limb segments and joints during locomotion in African and Asian elephants. Journal of Experimental Biology 211:2735-2751. pdf and associated files (.zip archive) [see Response to G.S. Paul commentary below]
- Miller, C.M., C. Basu, G. Fritsch, T. Hildebrandt, J.R. Hutchinson. 2008. Ontogenetic scaling of foot musculoskeletal anatomy in elephants. J. Roy. Soc. Interface 5:465-476. pdf and associated files (.zip archive)
- Ren, L. and J.R. Hutchinson. 2008. The three-dimensional locomotor dynamics of African (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximus) elephants reveal a smooth gait transition at moderate speed. J. Roy. Soc. Interface 5:195–211. pdf and associated files (.zip archive)
- Weissengruber, G.E., G.F. Egger, J.R. Hutchinson, H.B. Groenewald, L. Elsässer, D. Famini, G. Forstenpointner. 2006. The structure of the cushions in the feet of African Elephants (Loxodonta africana). Journal of Anatomy 209: 781-792. [pdf]
- Hutchinson, J.R., D. Schwerda, D. Famini, R.H.I. Dale, M. Fischer, R. Kram. 2006. The locomotor kinematics of African and Asian elephants: changes with speed and size. Journal of Experimental Biology 209: 3812-3827. [pdf]
