When you’re the size of plankton, water may as well be molasses. Viscosity rules at these scales, and swimming plankton leave distinctive wakes that are slow to dissipate. Fish that feed on plankton use Keep reading
Tag: fish
Catching Prey
The skinny, freshwater alligator gar can grow to more than 2 meters in length, giving it a distinct resemblance to its namesake. But this fish’s history traces back more than Keep reading
Review: “How to Walk on Water and Climb Up Walls”
“An eight-year-old girl kicked her feet back and forth on the seat of a Long Island Railroad train. I beckoned her to cover over and pointed to the top of Keep reading
The Swimming of a Dead Fish
When I was a child, my father would take me trout fishing, and I spent hours marveling from the riverbank at the trouts’ ability to, seemingly effortlessly, hold their position Keep reading
The Many Shapes of Fish
After visiting an aquarium or snorkeling near a reef, you may have wondered why fish come in so many different shapes. Given that all fish species need to get around Keep reading
Schooling Together
Since the 1970s, fluid dynamicists have chased the idea that fish swim in schools for hydrodynamic advantage. The original 2D conception of the idea placed fish in a diamond pattern Keep reading
Optimal Swimming
What do trout, sharks, and whales have in common? All are fast swimmers and share remarkable similarities in their swimming dynamics despite different sizes, shapes, and environments. A new study Keep reading
The Hydraulics Behind a Tuna’s Turns
Tuna are remarkably agile for their size. Many species reach lengths exceeding the height of a human adult, yet they can still make tight turns, especially when hunting. A recent Keep reading
The Archer Fish’s Arrow
Archer fish have a remarkable superpower. When hunting, they target insects above the water and knock them down with a precision strike from a jet of water they spit out. Keep reading
Why Fishing with Dynamite is So Harmful
In some countries, there are still people using dynamite to catch fish. This practice is incredibly destructive, not just to adult fish but to the entire marine ecosystem. A blast Keep reading