Science & Technology - Thursday, February 25, 2010 12:24 - 1 Comment

Bigger animals sport stiffer ’shoes’

Whether running, walking or standing still, the bulk of the animal’s weight is borne on that pillowy clover-shaped pad behind the four toes. It’s made of pockets fatty tissue hemmed in by baffles of collagen. A big dog’s weight is borne by the big pad behind the toes. The bigger the animal, the stiffer the pad. (Courtesy: HTO/Wikimedia Commons)

DUKE (US)—The mechanical properties of the pads on the bottom of animals’ feet vary in predictable fashion as animals get larger. In short, bigger critters need stiffer shoes. Continue…