Scientists Uncover Secret Of Giraffe's Strong, Skinny Legs
- 10 years ago
Have you ever wondered how giraffes can stand up on their tall, thin legs? According to a study by researchers at the Royal Veterinary College of London, giraffes have a deep groove in their lower legs, which helps the animals support their body weight on such skinny legs.
Have you ever wondered how giraffes can stand up on their tall, thin legs?
According to a study by researchers at the Royal Veterinary College of London, giraffes have a deep groove in their lower leg bones, which helps the animals support their body weight.
A supportive ligament in their legs is protected by this groove, which is reportedly deeper in giraffes than other animals.
Researchers want to understand how giraffes evolved to be so large, and still have long thin legs without much muscle.
They found that even though giraffes add mechanical stress to the bones in their legs, the specialized anatomy allows them to support their weight without having to engage as much muscle, preventing fatigue.
Christopher Basu, the PhD student who led the study quoted as saying: “This is hugely beneficial to today's living giraffes; what we learn here can help to advance medical care for giraffes in zoos. And robotics often draws inspiration from animal movement. So studies of this long-legged long-necked animal could inspire such oddly proportioned robotic - or even prosthetic - designs."
The results of the study will also help experts make connections between the modern giraffe anatomy and their extinct ancestors.
Have you ever wondered how giraffes can stand up on their tall, thin legs?
According to a study by researchers at the Royal Veterinary College of London, giraffes have a deep groove in their lower leg bones, which helps the animals support their body weight.
A supportive ligament in their legs is protected by this groove, which is reportedly deeper in giraffes than other animals.
Researchers want to understand how giraffes evolved to be so large, and still have long thin legs without much muscle.
They found that even though giraffes add mechanical stress to the bones in their legs, the specialized anatomy allows them to support their weight without having to engage as much muscle, preventing fatigue.
Christopher Basu, the PhD student who led the study quoted as saying: “This is hugely beneficial to today's living giraffes; what we learn here can help to advance medical care for giraffes in zoos. And robotics often draws inspiration from animal movement. So studies of this long-legged long-necked animal could inspire such oddly proportioned robotic - or even prosthetic - designs."
The results of the study will also help experts make connections between the modern giraffe anatomy and their extinct ancestors.