Publications by authors named "Lara L Martens"
Article Synopsis
- Recent studies have found that declawing (onychectomy) significantly affects the forearm muscles in cats, but similar impacts on other species have not been thoroughly explored.
- A study on a declawed kinkajou revealed noticeable differences in muscle architecture compared to intact kinkajous, where declawed specimens showed weaker digital muscles but larger forearm muscles.
- Unlike cats, the hind leg muscles of the declawed kinkajou did not exhibit major differences, suggesting variations in how different species use their limbs, warranting further research across various taxa.
Article Synopsis
- Masticatory gape and bite force are crucial for understanding the behavior and ecology of Smilodon fatalis, despite ongoing debates about its chewing habits.
- Researchers developed osteological proxies based on modern cats to estimate muscle length, gape, and bite force in S. fatalis.
- Findings suggest that while S. fatalis has a larger angular gape compared to modern felids, its bite force estimates are similar to those of smaller felids; this may indicate a unique predatory strategy involving both canine and carnassial teeth for capturing large prey.
While people are familiar with the practice of declawing domestic cats, "onychectomy", as it is also known, is also performed on non-domesticated species, including pantherines, to prolong their use for entertainment purposes. Although the surgery (the partial or complete removal of the distal phalanx) has clear osteological implications, its myological effects have never been studied. As the mass of an animal increases cubically as a product of its volume, while the areas of its paws only increase as a square, larger felids have higher foot pressures and, therefore, the surgery may have particularly substantial functional effects on larger cats.
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