[ad_1]
Squirrel parkour
Every day, acrobatic extravagances take place above our heads. Squirrels navigate remarkably complex and unpredictable environments as they jump from branch to branch, and mistakes can be fatal. These feats require a complex combination of advanced biomechanical adaptations and learned behaviors. Hunt et al. characterized the integration of these characteristics in a series of experiments with free-living fox squirrels (see Perspective by Adolph and Young). They found that the remarkable and consistent success of the squirrels was due to a combination of pulse generation learned when evaluating the balance between distance and branch flexibility and adding innovative jumps and landings. in the face of increasingly difficult challenges.
Science, abe5753, this issue p. 697; see also abj6733, p. 620
Abstract
Tree animals often jump through complex canopies to travel and avoid predators. Their success in making split-second and potentially fatal decisions about biomechanical ability depends on their skillful use of acrobatic maneuvers and learning from past efforts. Here we found that the free-roaming fox squirrels (black squirrel) jumping through unknown and simulated branches, decided where to go by balancing a trade-off between gap distance and branch flex compliance. Squirrels quickly learned to modify pulse generation when repeatedly jumping from unfamiliar, compliant beams. A repertoire of nimble landing maneuvers allowed for targeted jumps without falling. The unplanned adaptive landing and jumping “parkour” behavior revealed an innovative solution for particularly difficult jumps. Squirrels deciding and learning how to throw and land demonstrate the synergistic roles of biomechanics and cognition in robust gap-crossing strategies.
[ad_2]
Source link