Researchers studying how fish swim have long focused on their tail fins and the flows created there. But a fish’s other fins have important effects, too, as seen in this Keep reading
Tag: undulatory swimming
Swimming Intermittently
Many fish do not swim continuously; instead, they use an intermittent motion, swimming in a sudden burst and then coasting. This intermittent swimming is tough to simulate, due to its Keep reading
Benefits of Schooling
Though fluid dynamicists have long theorized about the hydrodynamic benefits of fish swimming in schools, nailing down the actual physics has been quite difficult. Fish rarely swim exactly as an Keep reading
Galapagos Week: Marine Iguanas
One of the most unique inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands is the marine iguana. These reptiles live in colonies of thousands and subsist entirely on marine algae. Smaller iguanas are Keep reading
Wavy Swimmers
Animals often move in ways engineers find counter-intuitive. Take, for example, the glass knifefish, an undulatory swimmer that controls its motion through wavelike oscillations of its fin. One might expect the Keep reading
Mackerel vs. Eel: Who Swam It Better?
Which matters more, form or function? This simulation sets out to answer that question by comparing the swimming motion of eels and mackerels. Eels have longer, more rounded body shapes Keep reading