BLOB, R.W.*; FRALICK, M.S.; Clemson University, SC: Limb kinematics of swimming box turtles: is ancestral function retained despite terrestrial specialization? Emydid turtles that regularly use aquatic habitats (e.g., sliders, painted turtles) move fore and hindlimbs very differently during swimming. Hindfoot digits are strongly webbed to form a broad paddle in these species. During retraction they […]

TOBALSKE, B.W.; PUCCINELLI, L.A.; Univ. of Portland, Oregon; Univ. of Portland, Oregon: Effects of Flight Mode on Contractile Activity of the Pectoralis in Zebra Finch Flap-bounding is a widespread form of intermittent flight used by birds including the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Previous workers have hypothesized that intermittent bounds permit small birds to vary mechanical […]

DRUCKER, E.G.*; LAUDER, G.V.; University of California, Irvine; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA: Locomotor function of the dorsal fin in teleost fishes: propulsor design and wake dynamics A major evolutionary transformation of the locomotor system of teleost fishes is the morphological elaboration of the dorsal fin. In basal teleost clades, the dorsal fin typically is a […]

LONG, JR., J H*; ROOT, R G; WATTS, P; Vassar College; Lafayette College; Applied Fluids Engineering: Is an undulating fish an oscillating wing? Using 3D computational fluid dynamics, we previously found that pumpkinseed sunfish, Lepomis gibbosus, appear to swim steadily using the head and body as an oscillating, unsteady wing with bound vorticity, alternating camber, […]

LIAO, James. C.; Harvard University: How trout interact with K�rm�n vortices behind a cylinder: insights from kinematics, electromyography, and flow visualization. Trout match their swimming kinematics to the shed vortices behind cylinders (i.e. adopt the K�rm�n gait) at relatively high flow speeds when cylinder diameter approaches half the total body length. The K�rm�n gait is […]

WATTS, Philip; FISH, Frank E.; Applied Fluids Engineering, Inc.; West Chester University: Fluid Dynamic and Maneuverability Aspects of Humpback Whale Flippers Humpback whales capture prey through tight maneuvers, and their flippers appear to be an integral part of these maneuvers. Humpback whales possess tubercles on the leading edges of their high aspect ratio flippers. Our […]

FISH, F.E.; KETTEN, D.R.; West Chester Univ., PA; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Examination of three-dimensional geometry of cetacean flukes using CT-scans The flukes of cetaceans function in the hydrodynamic generation of forces for thrust, stability, and maneuverability. The three-dimensional geometry of flukes is associated with the production of lift and drag. Previous studies of fluke […]

MCHENRY, M.J.; Harvard Univ.: Swimming in jellyfish (Aurelia aurita): ontogenetic scaling of morphology, motion and mechanics. Many aquatic animals change their body shape as they grow larger and it is unclear how such change influences swimming performance. The scyphozoan jellyfish Aurelia aurita increases its mass by as much as three orders of magnitude in a […]

SCHAEFER*, Justin T; CANNAS, Marcella; STEFFENSEN, John F; Univ. of California, Irvine; International Marine Center, Oristano Italy; Univ. of Copenhagen: Respirometry across the gait transition in a labriform swimmer (Embiotoca lateralis) Gait transition, a speed-dependent change of swimming modes, has been described in several species of fish and for different modes of swimming. Labriform swimmers […]

WILGA, C.D.; LAUDER, G.V.*; Univ. of Rhode Island; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA: Locomotor hydrodynamics in dogfish (Squalus acanthias): function of the heterocercal tail and pectoral fins The hydrodynamic function of the heterocercal caudal fin and pectoral fins in the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias was studied with high-resolution Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV). Wake flow patterns […]