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Fin and Flipper Locomotion

Locomotion with fins and flippers occurs mostly in aquatic locomotion, and rarely in terrestrial locomotion. From the three common states of matter - gas, liquid and solid, these appendages are adapted for liquids, mostly Fresh or Saltwater and used in locomotion, steering and balancing of the body. Locomotion is important in order to escape predators, acquire food, find mates and bury for shelter, nest or food. Aquatic locomotion consists of swimming, whereas terrestrial locomotion encompasses walking, 'crutching', jumping, digging as well as covering. Some animals such as Sea turtles and Mudskippers utilize both environments for various purposes, for example to lay their nests, or to hunt for food.

Aquatic locomotion of fish
Fish live in Fresh or Saltwater habitats and some exceptions are capable of coming on land (Mudskippers). Many fishes swim by contracting and relaxing a succession of muscle blocks, called myomeres, alternately on each side of the body, starting at the head and progressing down toward the tail. The alternate shortening and relaxing of successive muscle blocks, which bends part of the body first toward one side and then toward the other, results in a series of waves traveling down the fish's body (Undulatory locomotion). They use their fins to propel themselves through the water in this swimming motion. Actinopterygians, the ray-finned fish show an evolutionary pattern of fine control ability to control the dorsal and ventral lobe of the caudal fin. Through developmental changes, intrinsic caudal muscles were added, which enable fish to exhibit such complex maneuvers such as control during acceleration, braking and backing. Studies have shown that the muscles in the caudal fin, have independent activity patterns from the myotomal musculature. These results show specific kinematic roles for different part of the fishs' musculature. A curious example of fish adaption is the Ocean sunfish, also known as the Mola Mola. These fish have undergone significant developmental changes reducing their spinal cord, giving them a disk like appearance, and investing in two very large fins for propulsion. This adaptation usually gives them the appearance that they are as long as they are tall. They are also amazing fish in that they hold the world record in weight gain from fry to adult (600 million times its weight).

Aquatic locomotion of marine mammals
Swimming mammals, such as whales,dolphins,and sea lions to name a few, utilize their flippers to move forward through the water column. During swimming sea lions have a thrust phase, which lasts about 60% of the full cycle, and the recovery phase lasts the remaining 40%. A full cycle duration lasts about 0.5 to 1.0 seconds. Changing direction is a very rapid maneuver that is initiated by head movement towards the back of the animal that is followed by a spiral turn with the body. Due to their pectoral flippers being so closely located to their center of gravity, sea lions are capable of displaying astounding maneuverability in the pitch, roll, and yaw direction and are therefore not constrained, turning stochastically as they please. It is hypothesized that the increased level of maneuverability is caused by their complex habitat. Hunting occurs in difficult environments containing rocky inshore/kelp forest communities, with many niches for prey to hide, therefore requiring speed and maneuverability for capture. The complex skills of a sea lion are learned early on in ontogeny and most are perfected by the time the pups reach one year. Whales and dolphins are less maneuverable and more constrained in their movements. However, dolphins are capable of accelerating as fast as sea lions, but they are not capable of turning as quickly and as efficiently. For both whales and dolphins, their center of gravity does not line up with their pectoral flippers in a straight line, causing a much more rigid and stable swimming pattern.

Aquatic locomotion of marine reptiles
Aquatic reptiles such as sea turtles predominantly use their pectoral flippers to propulse through the water and their pelvic flippers for maneuvering. During swimming they move their pectoral flippers in a clapping motion underneath their body and pull them back up into an airplane position, causing forward motion. During the swimming motion it is really important that they rotate their front flipper in order to decrease drag through the water column and increase their efficiency. Sea turtles exhibit a natural suite of behavior skills that help them direct themselves towards the ocean as well as identify the transition from sand to water after hatching. If rotated in the pitch, yaw or roll direction the hatchlings are capable of counteracting the forces acting upon them by correcting with either their pectoral or pelvic flippers and redirecting themselves towards the open ocean.

Terrestrial locomotion of fish
Terrestrial locomotion poses new obstacles such as gravity and new media, including sand, mudd, twigs, logs, debris, grass and many more. Fins and flippers are aquatically adapted appendages and typically aren't very useful in such an environment.It could be hypothesized that fish would try to "swim" on land, but studies have shown that some fish evolved to cope with the terrestrial environment. Mudskippers, for example demonstrate a 'crutching' gait which enables them to 'walk' over muddy surfaces as well as dig burrows to hide in. Mudskippers are also able to jump up to 3cm distances. This behavior is described as starting with a J-curvature of the body at about 2/3 of its body length (with its' tail wrapped towards the head), followed by a straightening of their body which propulses them like a projectile through the air. This behavior enables them to cope with the new environment and opens their habitat to new food sources as well as new predators.

Terrestrial locomotion of marine reptiles
Reptiles, such as sea turtles spend most of their lives in the ocean. However, their life cycle requires the females to come on shore and lay their nests on the beach. Consequently, the hatchlings emerge out of the sand and have to run toward the water. Depending on their species, sea turtles are described to have either a symmetrical gait (diagonally opposite limbs are moving together) or an asymmetrical gait (Contra-lateral limbs move together). For example, loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings are commonly seen exhibiting symmetrical gait on sand, whereas, leatherback sea turtles employ the asymmetrical gait while on land. Notably, leatherbacks employ their front (pelvic) flippers more during forward terrestrial locomotion. Sea turtles can be seen nesting on subtropical and tropical beaches all around the world and exhibit such behavior such as arribada (Collective animal behavior). This is a phenomenon seen in Kemp's Ridley turtles which emerge all at once in one night only onto the beach to lay their nests.

Further Readings

 * Vogel, Steven (1994)Life in Moving Fluids: The physical biology of flow. 2nd edt. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. ISBN 0691034850
 * McNeill Alexander, Robert. (2003) Principles of Animal Locomotion. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.  ISBN 0691086788