London, August 11 (ANI): Much of gibbons' incredible jumping abilities are down to a great technique, a new research has found.
Gibbons, which dwell in the canopies of the tropical rainforest, are capable of 10m tree-to-tree leaps from a standing start.
But with none of the anatomical adaptations usually found in specialist jumping animals, their fantastic aerial abilities had remained a mystery, until now.
Researchers have found that gibbons' leaping secrets lie in a fluid, crouch-and-lunge technique. Their long, heavy arms, good for hanging from branches, act as pendulums to swing their weight forward as they uncoil from the crouch, reports the BBC.
With long, flexible limbs and a strong torso, they get to full stretch before taking off, giving them a "push-off distance" that far surpasses other leaping primates, and is four times that achieved by humans.
"Gibbons appear to hit a size 'sweet-spot', where they are big enough (helped by long arms and legs) to power jumps directly with muscle, but small enough to survive crashing about through trees," said co-author Dr James Usherwood of the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield, UK.
"Much smaller, and they need to store energy in tendons like the smaller primates such as bush babies. Much bigger and the risk of injury becomes prohibitive - orangutans are exceedingly slow and safe," he added.
The study has been published in the journal Biology Letters. (ANI)
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