Postural adaptations may contribute to the unique locomotor energetics seen in hopping kangaroos

Lauren Thornton; Taylor Dick; John R Hutchinson; Glen A Lichtwark; Craig P McGowan; Jonas Rubenson; Alexis Wiktorowicz-Conroy; Christofer J Clemente

doi:10.7554/eLife.96437

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Postural adaptations may contribute to the unique locomotor energetics seen in hopping kangaroos

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Postural adaptations may contribute to the unique locomotor energetics seen in hopping kangaroos

Lauren Thornton, Taylor Dick, John R Hutchinson, Glen A Lichtwark, Craig P McGowan, Jonas Rubenson, Alexis Wiktorowicz-Conroy and Christofer J Clemente

eLife, Vol.13, pp.1-57

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.96437

PMID: 41399103

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Abstract

Adaptation, Physiological

Animals

Biomechanical Phenomena

Energy Metabolism

Hindlimb - physiology

Locomotion

Macropodidae - physiology

Posture

Hopping kangaroos exhibit remarkably little change in their rate of metabolic energy expenditure with locomotor speed compared to other running animals. This phenomenon may be related to greater elastic energy savings due to increasing tendon stress; however, the mechanisms which enable the rise in stress without additional muscle work remain poorly understood. In this study, we created a three-dimensional (3D) kangaroo musculoskeletal model, integrating 3D motion capture and force plate data, to analyse the kinematics and kinetics of hopping red and grey kangaroos. Using our model, we evaluated how body mass and speed influence (i) hindlimb posture, (ii) effective mechanical advantage (EMA), (iii) the associated tendon stress in the ankle extensors, and (iv) ankle work during hopping. We found that increasing ankle dorsiflexion and metatarsophalangeal plantarflexion likely played an important role in decreasing ankle EMA by altering both the muscle and external moment arms, which subsequently increased energy absorption and peak tendon stress at the ankle. Surprisingly, kangaroo hindlimb posture changes appeared to contribute to increased tendon stress, allowing more elastic energy storage at faster speeds. These posture-mediated increases in elastic energy storage and return could be a key factor enabling kangaroos to achieve energetic benefits at faster hopping speeds, but may limit the performance of large kangaroos due to the risk of tendon rupture.

Details

Title: Postural adaptations may contribute to the unique locomotor energetics seen in hopping kangaroos
Authors: Lauren Thornton - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Taylor Dick - The University of Queensland
John R Hutchinson - Royal Veterinary College
Glen A Lichtwark - Queensland University of Technology
Craig P McGowan - University of Southern California
Jonas Rubenson - Pennsylvania State University
Alexis Wiktorowicz-Conroy - Royal Veterinary College
Christofer J Clemente - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Publication details: eLife, Vol.13, pp.1-57
Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd.
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.96437
ISSN: 2050-084X
PMID: 41399103
Copyright note: © 2024, Thornton et al. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability: Data and detailed analysis are available here https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30282592.v1.
Grants: Combining biomechanics and movement ecology of kangaroos and relatives, DP230101886, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, RTP, Department of Education (Australia, Canberra)
Grant note: ISB Comparative Neuromuscular Biomechanics Technical Group Student Grant-in-Aid of Research / Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Grant (BB/F000863) / Journal of Experimental Biology Travelling Fellowship
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991192243302621
Output Type: Journal article

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