Experimental advances in understanding the locomotor transition in equids (horses, zebras, and their relatives) | Jamie A. MacLaren

Experimental advances in understanding the locomotor transition in equids (horses, zebras, and their relatives)

The equid locomotor transition has been a textbook example of an adaptive anatomical change for over 100 years. The transition from small, four-toed ancestral equids to large-bodied, one-toed (monodactyl) modern horses has attracted a host of studies and research angles over many years. In this presentation, I will provide some insights into the most recent experimental work which has been conducted by the FUNMORPH lab at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, using high-resolution 3D scanning, digital skeletal reconstruction, dissection and muscle architecture quantification, and biomechanical simulations, to provide up-to-date interpretations of the equid locomotor transition, and pave the way for future studies on this charismatic group of mammals.