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Flight of Mammals: From Terrestrial Limbs to Wings

  • Book
  • © 2015

Overview

Authors:
  1. Aleksandra A. Panyutina

    1. Department of Vertebrate Zoology Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

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  2. Leonid P. Korzun

    1. Department of Vertebrate Zoology Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

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  3. Alexander N. Kuznetsov

    1. Department of Vertebrate Zoology Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

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  • Offers an explanation of the acquisition of flapping flight in mammals

  • Establishes a model of shoulder girdle mobility in flight that differs significantly from previous models

  • Suggests that flight in mammals resulted from a sequence of successive morphofunctional transformations rather than phylogenetic apomorphies

  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxvii
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  2. Forelimb Morphology of Tree Shrews

    • Aleksandra A. Panyutina, Leonid P. Korzun, Alexander N. Kuznetsov
    Pages 1-50

  3. Forelimb Morphology of Colugos

    • Aleksandra A. Panyutina, Leonid P. Korzun, Alexander N. Kuznetsov
    Pages 51-114

  4. Forelimb Morphology of Bats

    • Aleksandra A. Panyutina, Leonid P. Korzun, Alexander N. Kuznetsov
    Pages 115-203

  5. Functional Analysis of Locomotor Apparatus of Colugos

    • Aleksandra A. Panyutina, Leonid P. Korzun, Alexander N. Kuznetsov
    Pages 205-225

  6. Functional Analysis of Locomotor Apparatus of Bats

    • Aleksandra A. Panyutina, Leonid P. Korzun, Alexander N. Kuznetsov
    Pages 227-258

  7. Comparative Morphofunctional Analysis

    • Aleksandra A. Panyutina, Leonid P. Korzun, Alexander N. Kuznetsov
    Pages 259-279

  8. Evolutionary Scenario for Establishment of Flapping Flight

    • Aleksandra A. Panyutina, Leonid P. Korzun, Alexander N. Kuznetsov
    Pages 281-290

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 291-303
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Keywords

About this book

This book offers a new explanation for the development of flight in mammals and offers detailed morphological descriptions of mammals with flapping flight. The skeletomuscular apparatus of the shoulder girdle and forelimbs of tree shrews, flying lemurs and bats is described in detail. Special attention is paid to the recognition of peculiar features of the skeleton and joints. For the basic locomotor patterns of flying lemurs and bats, the kinematic models of the shoulder girdle elements are developed. The most important locomotor postures of these animals are analyzed by means of statics. The key structural characters of the shoulder girdle and forelimbs of flying lemurs and bats, the formation of which provided transition of mammals from terrestrial locomotion to gliding and then, to flapping flight, are recognized. The concept is proposed that preadaptations preceding the acquisition of flapping flight could have come from widely sprawled forelimb posture while gliding from tree to tree and running up the thick trunks. It is shown that flying lemur is an adequate morphofunctional model for an ancestral stage of bats. The evolutionary ecomorphological scenario describing probable transformational stages of typical parasagittal limbs of chiropteran ancestors into wings is developed.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Vertebrate Zoology Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    Aleksandra A. Panyutina, Leonid P. Korzun, Alexander N. Kuznetsov

About the authors

Dr. Alexandra A. Panyutina serves in the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at Russia's Moscow State University. She has studied the evolution of bat flight since 2005. Prior to that, she studied the morpho ecological diversity of rhinolophid bats.

Dr. Leonid P. Korzun serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at Moscow State. He has studied the morphological evolution of vertebrates (mainly birds) by means of functional analysis since 1970.

Dr. Alexander N. Kuznetsov also serves in the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at Russia's Moscow State University. He has studied vertebrate locomotion since 1985, when he published the original model of the three-segment Z-like structure of mammalian parasagittal limb, which is now generally accepted by the scientific community.

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