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Jumping
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===Power amplification through stored energy=== [[Grasshopper]]s use elastic energy storage to increase jumping distance. Although power output is a principal determinant of jump distance (as noted above), physiological constraints limit muscle power to approximately 375 Watts per kilogram of muscle.<ref> {{cite journal | last = Marsh, R. L. | date = 1994 | title = Jumping ability of anuran amphibians|journal=Advances in Veterinary Science and Comparative Medicine | volume = 38B |issue=38|pages=51β111 | pmid = 7810380 }} </ref> To overcome this limitation, grasshoppers anchor their legs via an internal "catch mechanism" while their muscles stretch an elastic [[apodeme]] (similar to a vertebrate [[tendon]]). When the catch is released, the apodeme rapidly releases its energy. Because the apodeme releases energy more quickly than muscle, its power output exceeds that of the muscle that produced the energy. [[File:Morcycle jumping at a country fair (England) arp.jpg|thumb|Two motorbikes jump a car at a country fair, England]] This is analogous to a human throwing an arrow by hand versus using a bow; the use of elastic storage (the bow) allows the muscles to operate closer to isometric on the [[Muscle contraction#Force-velocity relationships|force-velocity curve]]. This enables the muscles to do work over a longer time and thus produce more energy than they otherwise could, while the elastic element releases that work faster than the muscles can. The use of elastic energy storage has been found in jumping mammals as well as in frogs, with commensurate increases in power ranging from two to seven times that of equivalent muscle mass.<ref name=":0"> {{cite journal |author1=Peplowski, M. M. |author2=Marsh, R. L. | date = 1997 | title = Work and power output in the hindlimb muscles of cuban tree frogs Osteopilus septentrionalis during jumping|journal=J. Exp. Biol. |volume=200 |issue=22|pages=2861β70 |doi=10.1242/jeb.200.22.2861 |pmid=9344973 |doi-access=free|bibcode=1997JExpB.200.2861P }} </ref>
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