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Science 5 April 1991:
Vol. 252. no. 5002, pp. 112 - 114
DOI: 10.1126/science.252.5002.112
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Articles

Energetics of Caterpillar Locomotion: Biomechanical Constraints of a Hydraulic Skeleton

TIMOTHY M. CASEY 1

1 Department of Entomology, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Cook College, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903

Power input increased linearly with speed and was closely associated with changes in cycle frequency. Minimum cost of transport of gypsy moth caterpillars was 4.5 times as high as predicted for vertebrates and arthropods with jointed framework skeletons. Reduced locomotor economy was associated with stride length only one-third or less than that for animals with solid skeletons.

Submitted on October 16, 1990
Accepted on February 6, 1991


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