Project

Grasping onto evolution: testing hypotheses on adaptive evolution of animal prehensile systems

Code

3G006716

Duration

01 January 2016 → 31 December 2019

Funding

Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)

Promotor

Dominique Adriaens

Research disciplines

Natural sciences
- Animal morphology, anatomy and physiology
- Vertebrate biology
- Biology of adaptation
- Phylogeny and comparative analysis
Engineering and technology
- Design theories and methods not elsewhere classified

Keywords

biomechanics prehensile tail invertebrates 3d printing morphology Biomimetics

Project description

Prehensile systems have evolved multiple times independently among vertebrates. Prehensile tails is just one of those, which can be found in fishes, reptiles and mammals. With this project, we want to study how the musculoskeletal system has become adapted for this function, by performing biomechanical analyses and testing models using 3D printing. From that, we can also derive potential applications in industry or biomedical sciences.