My interests focus on the
ecological and biomechanical contexts of gliding in mammals. Gliding has evolved six times in extant mammals, but despite this,
little is known about how gliding affects the biology of these
organisms. The goals of my research are to understand under
what ecological conditions gliding has evolved and how extant gliders
use this unique locomotor mode. Currently, I am examining the locomotor
behavior of two groups of gliding mammals, flying squirrels and
colugos. I am examining the ability of these animals to
modulate aerodynamic forces with the goal of understanding how they
navigate their spatially complex habitat. To examine this
system, I use a variety of biomechanical techniques in both the lab and
field. Recently we developed a data-logger that
allows collection of kinetic data from free-ranging animals in their
natural habitat. Using this tool and traditional
radio-telemetry and observational data, it is possible to study both
the biomechanics underlying gliding locomotion, and the ecological
contexts in which animals use this behavior.
For
more information on the colugo project check out:
