Jandy B Hanna
My research primarily focuses on the comparative functional morphology, biomechanics, and physiology of locomotion using various experimental methods. I believe that experimental work is an integral part of functional morphological research because it allows in vivo testing of biomechanical models and hypotheses concerning the function of a particular trait. In addition, such in vivo tests allow for a stronger application of functional morphological models to the fossil record, ultimately aiding in a greater understanding of an organism’s evolutionary history. Primates, in particular, are an interesting group to study in regard to their locomotion because they exhibit several modes of locomotion unique among mammals, such as arm swinging and bipedalism. In addition, primates are the only mammalian group that exhibits movement in an arboreal environment over several orders of magnitude in body size, and the physical demands of this locomotor ecology, particularly at large body sizes, is an interesting area of study.
Publications