ABSTRACT
Biomechanics is the study of the mechanical design of organisms and their movements, integrating physics and biology. A biomechanical approach can therefore be useful to study animal behaviour, as animals are constrained by the laws of physics, be they hummingbirds hovering while feeding on nectar, intertidal organisms withstanding wave forces, migrating whales, or seabirds resting on water. The interactions of animals with their physical world are based on trial and error, and shaped by evolution through maximizing fitness. For example, a cat applies the proper ground force needed to jump up on a windowsill, and a spider builds a web with the mechanical and structural properties that resist the impact of a prey.
