Salamander Locomotion

In this Science Minute from NIMBioS, Dr. Sandy Kawano, NIMBioS postdoctoral fellow, explains how forelimbs and hind limbs evolved to support more weight so that tetrapods could move from water to the land. Her new study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology investigates the stresses experienced by the limb bones of tiger salamanders during terrestrial locomotion. (1 min 38 sec) Nov 23, 2015

Citation: Kawano SM et al. Comparative limb bone loading in the humerus and femur of the tiger salamander Ambystoma tigrinum: Testing the 'mixed-chain' hypothesis for skeletal safety factors. Journal of Experimental Biology. [Online]

Feature article: Strolling salamanders provide clues on how animals evolved to move from water to land

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From 2008 until early 2021, NIMBioS was supported by the National Science Foundation through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.