Thunniform locomotion

Thunniform locomotion is a swimming mode in which a relatively stiff body transmits motion to a powerful tail that provides most propulsion. It is characteristic of fast-swimming fishes such as tunas.

Caudal fin: The tail fin of a fish, used to generate thrust and control movement. Its shape and motion determine much of the thrust in thunniform swimming.
Fish locomotion: The ways fishes move through water using fins, body motions, or both. Thunniform swimming is one specialized mode within fish locomotion.
Tuna: A group of fast-swimming marine fishes in the family Scombridae. Tunas are the classic examples of thunniform locomotion.
Anguilliform locomotion: A swimming mode in which waves of bending travel along nearly the entire body. It contrasts with thunniform swimming's stiff trunk and concentrated tail motion.
Body–caudal fin locomotion: Swimming driven by waves of body motion that culminate in movement of the tail fin. Thunniform locomotion is a specialized form of this broader propulsion pattern.
Axial skeleton: The bones along an animal's central axis, including the vertebral column and associated structures. Its stiffness helps transmit muscular forces toward the tail.
Great white shark: A large predatory shark found in temperate and subtropical seas. Its stiff trunk and crescent-shaped tail support fast, tail-driven swimming.
Subcarangiform locomotion: A swimming mode in which body undulation extends from the middle of the body to the tail. Its broader bending region differs from thunniform locomotion's mostly rigid body.
Carangiform locomotion: A swimming mode in which undulation is concentrated in the rear portion of the body and tail. It uses more body bending than the comparatively stiff thunniform mode.
Red muscle: Slow-contracting, oxygen-rich muscle used for sustained activity in many fishes. In tunas, it supports prolonged swimming powered by the body and tail.

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