Elastic Mechanisms in Animal Movement

Book Description

Definitive selection of 3,919 photographs, plus author's observations on animals' movements. Incredible true-action shots cover 34 different animals and birds in 132 characteristic motions. Horses, goats, cats, gnus, eagles, gazelles, sloths, camels, many others shown walking, running, flying, leaping, more.

Customer Reviews:

Its Not Just For Animators.......2000-08-17

The images of the dray horses pulling heavy loads is worth the price of admission for me. This is a great reference for artists who want to create realistic images of animals in motion. It's a fabulous settler of bar room bets. It's a source of animated gifs for web designers (I have the running cat image that's been going around.)

For people who want to understand animals in general, this is a good reference. I never thought that all the ways an animal can go from point A to point B each had a name to it and that a quadruped can have so many ways to move.

Its an interesting historical piece, too. People do not see horses doing useful work any more and it's a reminder that we all had a life before internal combustion. Its an interesting chapter in the history of photography and the history of art, too. (Painting was never the same after people figured out how animals really moved.)

Indispensible Reference for Artists.......2000-01-28

Muybridges momumental work photographing animals in all different gates and poses and tests of ability. Using sometimes up to 100 cameras for a single set up to gain what is now the definitive guide for animators in understanding the motion of animals. It all started with a $25,000 bet: Eadweard Muybridge and a friend argued whether all four of the horses hooves leave the ground completely at any point during a gallop. Being funded for the project, Muybridge proved to be the winner in saying that horses do in fact leave the ground for a momentary second in their strides. The book begins with an anlaysis of locomotion, going over the walk, the amble, the trot, the rack (or pace), the canter, the transverse-gallop, the rotary-gallop, and the richochet, along with the leap and buck and kick. There are roughly 4,000 photos in this collection which claims to be the largest collection of animals in motion. It features not only horses but lions, deers, oxen, elephants, birds and kangaroos. From this development, Muybridge not only discovered that horses gallop with no feet touching the ground, but his discovery led to motion pictures, in which his photos is a very crude version of cinema today. Later he designed a viewer called a Zoogyroscope (or Zoopraxiscope) which, similar to a Zoetrope, was a carousel with slits which you look through while it is spinning to give the illusion of motion (or persistence of vision). Today these pictures are looked at for a couple of reasons, mostly as nastolgia for one to have wonder and excitement of this simple cinema, but it also is a great reference for modern animators. In fact, for those looking at animation, I can tell you that if you ask for an application to Walt Disney Animation Studios, they will give you their requirements and texts, this will be on the list. Highly reccomended for the artist, graphic, fine arts or animation or anything else you can dream of.

Average customer rating:

My kid has yet to be "moved" by this book.
Move it or lose it

Move!
Robin Page
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 061864637X

Book Description

Animals move! Follow them as they swing, dance, float, leap, and slide from page to page, then learn why these animals move the way they do. Move! is a playful introduction to motion in the animal kingdom that invites young readers to guess some of the unusual ways that animals get around. Action is the name of the game, so Move!

Customer Reviews:

My kid has yet to be "moved" by this book........2007-07-11

My kid is almost 3 and I thought he'd really like this book. Though the writing is really simple, it is a cute concept. Just probably better suited for a younger child.

Move it or lose it.......2006-06-09

I review a lot of children's books, but people like Steve Jenkins and Robin Page sometimes make me question the necessity of it all. Is there any point to reviewing the newest Jenkins/Page title ... ever? I mean, let's examine the facts here. These guys get better and more creative with every passing book. Now Jenkins does fine and dandy on his own, true, but Page has the narrative oomph to turn any title from "beautifully illustrated but not much going on" to "beautifully illustrated and written with an intelligent hand". Take into account the wonderful animal facts alongside the cut-paper pictures that make Eric Carle look like a slacker (he's not, people, I'm just making a point) and what you have is book after book after book of utterly unique wildlife picture books. So why even review them? Well, there's always the off-chance that somebody somewhere has never even heard, "What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?" and others of its ilk. With that in mind, it only makes sense to turn the spotlight again and again and again to the picture book world's resident geniuses.

Says the book, "Animals move in different ways". The first thing you see, you really see, when you open up this book is a furry brown gibbon in mid-swing. The big word "swing" is in clear black letters on a white background alongside the sentence, "A gibbon swings through jungle trees . . .". Turn the page and now the word of the two-page spread is "walk". On the left-hand page is our gibbon friend, only now he's carefully choosing his steps to the sentence, ". . . or walks on two back legs". On the right-hand page is another animal walking. It's a jacana walking on some floating lily pads. Now turn the page and the word is "dive". You get the idea. Each animal in this book gets two action verbs to act out in some manner. A run might turn into a dance or a slide into a waddle. The end the book shows a single pair of human feet alongside the question, "Animals move in different ways ... how about you?". The answer? MOVE!

What author Robin Page has done and done well is pair entirely different kinds of animals and insects alongside one another using a verb that can describe both. You wouldn't initially think that a polar bear and a jumping spider have much in common. But hold the word "float" up to both and you can see how they inhabit the term in entirely different ways. The book follows a logical progression, ending with two pages at the back that give factual information about the critters we've already seen. Did your kid know that the African jacana's toes keep it afloat on the lily pads it uses as stepping stones? They will now.

With Page's words to guide him, Jenkins gives as much oomph and surprise action as he can to his illustrations without going so far as to make them three-dimensional. So if the word is "leap", you can bet your bottom dollar that both the armadillo and crocodile are going to be giving you your money's worth on that verb. Plus there's Jenkins's attention to detail. That crocodile, for example, isn't just bursting out of the water (note the copious splashing action going on through dots of paper alone). There's the reflective gleam in the croc's eye. The grey-green paper, just wrinkly enough to suggest the texture of crocodile skin. And though I have no proof of this, I think it's safe to say that Jenkins probably researched how many teeth crocs have and gave his the required amount. Just a guess, but this is the kind of book to give you faith in the matter. There's not a single bird or beastie here that seems simplistic or out-of-place. Look at the cover, for crying out loud. How does a guy who works entirely in the medium of cut-paper make a bunny look furry? How? Answer me that.

Whenever I review a book by the Jenkins & Page team I end up sounded like their cheering section. It's not an entirely unpleasant sensation either. Just as long as the two of them keep churning out books as remarkable, both visually and in the written form, as "Move!", I'll be content to keep giving them kudos after kudos. A truly beautiful beast.

Muybridge's Complete Human and Animal Locomotion: All 781 Plates from the 1887 Animal Locomotion: New Volume 3 (Reprint of original volumes 9-11)

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Muybridge's Complete Human and Animal Locomotion: All 781 Plates from the 1887 Animal Locomotion: New Volume 3 (Reprint of original volumes 9-11)
Eadweard Muybridge
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 048623794X

Book Description

Volume 3 of 3-volume set includes studies of horses, domestic and wild animals, and birds in remarkable stopped-action photographs by pioneering master photographer. Also includes the original prospectus and a catalogue of plates.

Muybridge's Complete Human and Animal Locomotion : All 781 Plates from the 1887 Animal Locomotion: New Volume 2 (Reprint of original volumes 5-8)

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Muybridge's Complete Human and Animal Locomotion : All 781 Plates from the 1887 Animal Locomotion: New Volume 2 (Reprint of original volumes 5-8)
Eadweard Muybridge
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0486237931

Book Description

Volume 2 of 3-volume hardcover set includes studies of draped and semi-nude men and women plus the disabled, in remarkable stopped-action photographs by pioneering master photographer. Essential for artists, animators, photographers, cinematographers, anyone interested in the mechanics of people in motion.

Animal Locomotion (Oxford Animal Biology Series)

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Animal Locomotion (Oxford Animal Biology Series)
Andrew A. Biewener
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 019850022X

Book Description

This book provides a clear foundation, based on physical biology and biomechanics, for understanding the underlying mechanisms by which animals have evolved to move in their physical environment. It integrates the biomechanics of animal movement with the physiology of animal energetics and the
neural control of locomotion. The author also communicates a sense of the awe and fascination that comes from watching the grace, speed, and power of animals in motion.
Movement is a fundamental distinguishing feature of animal life, and a variety of extremely effective mechanical and physiological designs have evolved. Common themes are observed for the ways in which animals successfully contend with the properties of a given physical environment across diversity
of life forms and varying locomotor modes. Understanding the common principles of design that span a diverse array of animals requires a broad comparative and integrative approach to their study. This theme persists throughout the book, as various modes and mechanisms of animal locomotion are
covered. Since an animal's size is equally critical to its functional design, the effects of scale on locomotor energetics and mechanics are also discussed.
Biewener begins by examining the underlying machinery for movement: skeletal muscles used for force generation, skeletons used for force transmission, and spring-like elements used for energy savings. He then describes the basic mechanisms that animals have evolved to move over land, in and on the
surface of the water, and in the air. Common fluid dynamic principles are discussed as background to both swimming and flight. In addition to discussing the locomotor mechanisms of complex animals, the locomotor movement of single cells is also covered. Common biochemical features of cellular
metabolism are then reviewed before discussing the energetic aspects of various locomotor modes. Strategies for conserving energy and moving economically are again highlighted in this section of the book. Emphasis is placed on comparisons of energetic features across locomotor modes. The book
concludes with a discussion of the neural control of animal locomotion. The basic neurosensory and motor elements common to vertebrates and arthropods are discussed, and features of sensori-motor organization and function are highlighted. These are then examined in the context of specific examples
of how animals control the rhythmic patterns of limb and body movement that underlie locomotor function and stability.

Average customer rating:

Kind of misleading...

Things That Go! (Baby Einstein)
Julie Aigner-clark
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786849495
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Book Description

Vroom!!! What child isnt fascinated by locomotion?From trucks and tractors to cars and bicycles, young children will enjoy this simple board book which introduces them to the world of things that go. Beautiful illustrations are paired with delightful text describing familiar objects to help young children expand their vocabulary and word-recognition skills.Designed to appeal to a young childs love of things that go, each colorful page will engage children for hours of learning fun.

Customer Reviews:

Kind of misleading..........2006-08-03

My kid is all into transportation and I thought that this book was a corrolated book to the "on the go" baby einstein dvd, which is about transportation and vehicles. Well, it is not. It goes into fish that swim and birds that fly and even goes into a wind powered page about windmills. At the end it awkwardly talks about a snake and a baby who crawl on the ground. Since they didn't want a snake and a baby in the same scene, the snake just sits in a computer screen in the baby's room. Weird. The text is pretty awkward as well. I can't get through the first page without tripping over my tongue. It is not a cute rhyme, more like a rhyme that makes no sense that they tried too hard on. My kids still look at this book, but mainly we just look at the pictures of birds and butterflies and fish (and a car or two). It isn't the best book and if you are expecting planes, trains and automobiles on every page like the DVD, that isn't what this is.

Exploring Biomechanics: Animals in Motion

Average customer rating:

The wonder of animal movement .. with superb illustrations

Exploring Biomechanics: Animals in Motion
R. McNeill Alexander
Manufacturer: Scientific American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 071675035X

Customer Reviews:

The wonder of animal movement .. with superb illustrations.......2003-10-30

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.

Average customer rating:

A wonderful book for little ones!!

A fantastic witty book for young children

This book is perfect for all ages!

Worms Wiggle
David Pelham
Manufacturer: Little Simon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Mice Squeak, We Speak

Merry-Go-Round (World of Language)

Bedhead (Stories to Go!)

Many Luscious Lollipops (World of Language)

Kites Sail High (Heller, Ruth, Ruth Heller World of Language.)

ASIN: 0671672185

Book Description

If worms wiggle and bugs jiggle, what do frogs and dogs do?

Youngsters will love to turn each flap and trigger all the leaping, creeping, bouncing, pouncing, sliding and gliding action.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful book for little ones!!.......2006-12-17

I had this book for my oldest granddaughter (soon to be 11 years old) when she was very little. It was her favorite book & she would have me read this to her over & over. The pop-ups were fun. I remember she would have me turn past the lion because she would say..oooh scary. We ended up playing a game with the book. She would "get ready" for the lion & she remembers her & me reading that book together to this day. She scored the highest in her school last year with reading & is an honor stutdent. I know that reading together with her when she was small helped bring her where she is today. I am going to get this for my youngest granddaughter, her little sister Hannah who is 18 months old. She loves to look at books & have you read to her. Caitlyn (my oldest granddaughter) and I both agree she would love this book so I am going to get a copy for her and make more fond memories with Hannah. This is a book that when your little one still may tear a book, you need to read with them because the pop-ups could be torn out but its more fun to read this book with them anyway. Read with your little one, make fond memories & help them advance their ability to read all at once. What a worthwhile investment!

A fantastic witty book for young children.......1999-10-02

This book is great, the rhymes, the illustrations, the whole book is fantastic, I love it

This book is perfect for all ages!.......1998-01-21

This is such a nice, simple book with very clever pop-ups that really work after many readings. My son, who is not quite three, loves to read this book to me. It has definitey been one of our favorites.

Muybridge's Complete Human and Animal Locomotion: New Volume 1 (Reprint of original volumes 1-4)

Average customer rating:

fantastic book, but no animals...
Motion Broken Down

Muybridge's Complete Human and Animal Locomotion: New Volume 1 (Reprint of original volumes 1-4)
Eadweard Muybridge
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0486237923

Book Description

Volume 1 of 3-volume set includes studies of nude men and women in remarkable stopped-action photographs by pioneering master photographer. Essential for artists, animators, photographers, cinematographers, anyone interested in the mechanics of people in motion.

Customer Reviews:

fantastic book, but no animals..........2003-02-27

if you are interested in clear depictions of humans in motion,
it is interesting that the absolute best work on the subject comes from the late 1800s. If you are interested in animal locomotion, get another book. I am assuming that the other 2 volumes will someday become available, making this a true "complete" study.
perhaps someone will update Muybridges work in the interim.

Motion Broken Down.......2000-03-28

As an artist and beginning animator, I have found Muybridge's motion studies to be helpful in understanding how the body travels in time (animals and machines too) using time-lapse photography. This book remains current and comprehensive especially in light of the current digital revolution's emphasis on special effects and eye candy. Muybridge's work is important because it goes to the roots of motion and reveals its simplicity and beauty. I highly recommend this fascinating book for those with curious minds.

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