Locomotion in Brookesia thieli while walking on a narrow wire

This video shows how the animal does not position its tail on the narrow wire but rather relies on the grasping action of hands and feet to ensure stability. In contrast, on the broad dowel the animal deliberately positions its tail to improve its balance. Note also how specialised grasping hands and feet can no longer be used to grab hold of the broad dowel. Upper view: metal wire (diameter of 1.4 mm); lower view: a wide branch (diameter of 12.4 mm). This research was published in the journal Biology Letters in the paper: Assisted walking in Malagasy dwarf chamaeleons by Renaud Boistel, Anthony Herrel, Gheylen Daghfous, Paul-Antoine Libourel, Elodie Boller, Paul Tafforeau and Vincent Bels. The doi link for the article is http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2010.0322

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Science & Technology

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• rsbl
• 2010
• 0322
• File008