Exploring Biomechanics

Ever wonder why chickens have both dark and white meat? Ever wonder if a horse ever has all four legs off the ground? Ever wonder how a cat and a rhinoceroses are similar? If you answered yes, then this book is for you.As a bird watcher, I gained new appreciation for the Magnificent Frigatebird from the chapter of gliding and flying. This book also helped me understand how the elegant V formation of flying geese reduces the number of vortices, and thus increases the efficiency of flight. The books examples cover all taxa, from the 1000 cycle per second flight of the midge insect, to how a jellyfish moves. There are a few algebraic formulas and some excellent illustrations on both the biological principles and the methods of experimentation. For example, there is a fascinating photo of measuring the oxygen consumption of a walking elephant. The author, as a researcher, has a lot of first hand experience, for example, he relates the smell of a dissection of a Coelacanth.