Knowra Cetacean locomotion Cetacean locomotion Cetacean locomotion is swimming powered mainly by vertical strokes of the tail flukes. Streamlined bodies, flexible spines, and specialized fins help cetaceans generate thrust, steer, and stabilize themselves.
Caudal fin : A tail fin that generates thrust by moving through water. Cetaceans’ horizontal tail flukes are caudal fins that drive their characteristic up-and-down strokes.
Cetacea : An order of aquatic mammals comprising whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Cetacean locomotion is shared across this diverse group of mammals.
Cetacean diving : The underwater descent and submergence behavior of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Locomotor efficiency affects how far and how long cetaceans can travel underwater.
Fish locomotion : The modes of swimming used by fishes, involving body, fin, or combined movements. Many fishes propel themselves with side-to-side tail beats, unlike cetaceans’ vertical fluke strokes.
Thrust : A force that propels an object forward through a fluid or other medium. Each fluke stroke pushes water backward, producing forward thrust.
Flipper : A broad, flattened limb adapted for movement or control in water. Cetacean forelimbs are reshaped into flippers used chiefly for steering and stability.
Cetacean migration : Seasonal or recurrent long-distance movement by cetaceans between regions. Efficient swimming enables some species to cross ocean basins between feeding and breeding grounds.
Pinniped locomotion : Swimming and terrestrial movement by seals, sea lions, and walruses. Pinnipeds use their limbs for aquatic propulsion rather than a cetacean-style tail fluke.
Hydrodynamics : The study of forces and motion in liquids. It describes the fluid forces acting on swimming cetaceans.
Vertebral column : The articulated series of vertebrae forming the backbone of a vertebrate. Its flexibility allows the trunk to contribute to swimming motions.
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