Part One : Life's physical context. Preambulations
Setting the stage
More tools
Part Two : Fluids. Gasses and liquids : fluids at rest
Gases meet liquids : the interface
Viscosity and the patterns of flow
The forces of flow
Fluid events near surfaces
Where flows are inside
More about circulatory systems
Flows in small worlds
About lift
Thrust for flying and swimming
Motion at the air-water interface
Part Three : Solids and structures. A matter of materials
Biological materials : tuning properties properly
Biological materials : cracks and composites
More about complex materials : viscoelasticity
Simple structures : beams, columns, shells
Less simple structural matters
Hydrostatic structures, hydraulic devices
Structural systems
Motility and mobility
Using muscle : tuning and transmissions
Getting around on land
Part Four : The contexts of biomechanics. Loose ends and perspectives
Appendices : Quantification : rules of the road
Motion and direction
Size and scaling

"Comparative Biomechanics takes a comprehensive look at the mechanical aspects of life--covering animals and plants, structure and movement, and solids and fluids. This revised and updated edition examines how the forms and activities of animals and plants reflect the materials available to nature, considers rules for fluid flow and structural design, and explores how organisms contend with environmental forces. Drawing on physics and mechanical engineering, the author looks at how animals swim and fly, modes of terrestrial locomotion, organism responses to winds and water currents, circulatory and suspension-feeding systems, and the relationship between size and mechanical design. He also investigates links between the properties of biological materials--such as spider silk, jellyfish jelly, and muscle--and their structural and functional roles. Early chapters and appendices introduce relevant physical variables for quantification, and problem sets are provided at the end of each chapter. For a wider audience, the textbook establishes the basic biological context for applied areas--including ergonomics, orthopedics, mechanical prosthetics, kinesiology, sports medicine, and biomimetics--and provides materials for exhibit designers at science museums.