Effect of skull morphology on fox snow diving

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Yuk, Jisoo; Pandey, Anupam; Park, Leena; Bemis, William E.; Jung, Sunghwan
• 署名单位: Cornell University; Syracuse University; University of California System; University of California Davis; Cornell University
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-15392
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321179121
• 发表日期: 2024-05-07
• 关键词: water

摘要

Certain fox species plunge -dive into snow to catch prey (e.g., rodents), a hunting mechanism called mousing. Red and arctic foxes can dive into snow at speeds ranging between 2 and 4 m/s. Such mousing behavior is facilitated by a slim, narrow facial structure. Here, we investigate how foxes dive into snow efficiently by studying the role of skull morphology on impact forces it experiences. In this study, we reproduce the mousing behavior in the lab using three-dimensional (3D) printed fox skulls dropped into fresh snow to quantify the dynamic force of impact. Impact force into snow is modeled using hydrodynamic added mass during the initial impact phase. This approach is based on two key facts: the added mass effect in granular media at high Reynolds numbers and the characteristics of snow as a granular medium. Our results show that the curvature of the snout plays a critical role in determining the impact force, with an inverse relationship. A sharper skull leads to a lower average impact force, which allows foxes to dive head -first into the snow with minimal tissue damage.