Biomechanical research reveals elephants move like a 4x4
Summary:
- Royal Veterinary College researchers discover that the limbs of elephants function similarly to the wheels of a 4x4 vehicle.
- The findings disprove previous research that all four-legged animals divide the labour sharply between fore and hind limbs.
- The limbs of elephants were found to be compliant (‘bouncy’), overturning classic assumptions that their limbs were ‘pillar-like’ to support their large frame.
29 March 2010
LONDON – Research by a Royal Veterinary College (RVC) team, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Services Research Council (BBSRC), has shown the legs of elephants work much like the wheels of a 4x4 vehicle. The discovery has disproved the theory that all four-legged animals divide the labour between front and hind legs.
The research, just published online in the scientific journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the United States, has found that, like a 4x4 vehicle, all four of an elephant’s legs both brake and accelerate the animal.
This finding has overturned the classic assumption that all four-legged animals divide the labour between their legs, using the forelegs more for braking and the hindlegs for acceleration. Like all-wheel drive vehicles, elephants have eliminated this separation, something no other four-legged animal is thought to do.
All four elephant legs were discovered to be slightly ‘bouncy’, especially when running at faster speeds, rather than the rigid limbs typical of walking. The ‘bouncier’ legs give the animal poor leverage, which is surprising because it was thought that big animals, especially elephants, would need “pillar-like” legs to efficiently support their weight. Their leverage is about 2-3 times less than previous theory predicted from their size, and is similar to that in humans. This poor leverage makes running about 50 per cent more costly than walking and accounts for why elephants are slower than many other animals.
Dr. John Hutchinson, senior researcher on the study and Reader in Evolutionary Biomechanics in the Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences at the RVC, predicts their work will have long-lasting implications for how researchers will henceforth measure and assess the movement of other animals.
He says, “We have developed some new techniques for looking at animal movement that may change the way that we view the locomotion of other animals. Regardless, we have shown that elephant legs function in very strange and probably unique ways. We even overturned some of our own previous ideas about elephants, which is always initially disheartening but ultimately exhilarating for a scientist. Our measurements have also provided basic data that will be useful in clinical studies of elephants, such as common lameness problems.”
Dr. Hutchinson’s team, including first author Dr. Lei Ren, made these discoveries while measuring the forces on elephant legs from walking to running speeds. They also examined the compliance of the legs and how they support and move the body.
The team used fast and athletic elephants from the Thai Elephant Conversation Centre in Lampang, Thailand as subjects.
To measure the forces elephants exert on their environment, the researchers employed force platforms in conjunction with advanced 3D motion capture imaging to determine the elephants’ movements.
The study is part of the RVC’s commitment to excellence in research. As part of its commitment, the RVC runs the International Centre of Excellence for Comparative Biomechanics, undertaking world class fundamental and applied research which benefits the welfare of a wide range of animals.
Elephant vs. 4x4
| ELEPHANT | 4x4 | |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
| Weight | 3000 kg | 2500 – 3000kg |
| Top Speed | 15mph | 110 – 130mph |
| Fuel | Grass, leaves and other plants | Petrol or diesel |
| Terrain | Widely-ranging across Africa and Asia | The Chelsea school run |
For further information about the research study, see Biomechanical research reveals elephants move like 4x4 vehicles or contact: Dr. John Hutchinson, Reader in Evolutionary Biomechanics, Structure & Motion Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College (RVC) phone 01707 666 313; email jrhutch@rvc.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
- The study is part of the RVC’s commitment to excellence in research. As part of this commitment, the RVC runs the Structure and Motion Laboratory, a Centre for Excellence in comparative biomechanics research, undertaking world class fundamental and applied research which benefits the welfare of a wide range of animals.
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