Mechanical and energetic scaling relationships of running gait through ontogeny in the ostrich (Struthio camelus)

Summary Abstract It is unclear whether small animals with their high stride frequency and crouched posture or large animals with more tendinous limbs are more reliant on storage and return of elastic energy during locomotion. The ostrich has a limb structure that appears to be adapted for high speed running with long tendons and short muscle fibres. Here we investigate biomechanics of ostrich gait through growth and, with consideration of...