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Journal of Experimental Biology 162,157-166 (1992)
Published by Company of Biologists 1992

Is the High Cost of Body/Caudal Fin Undulatory Swimming due to increased Friction Drag or Inertial Recoil?

PAUL W. WEBB ¹

¹ The University of Michigan, Department of Biology and School of Natural Resources, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1115, USA

Deep-bodied fish, such as the bluegill sunfish {Lepomis macrochirus), are considered to have relatively larger wetted surface areas for their size than fusiform fish. On the basis of the boundary layer thinning hypothesis attributing high power requirements of undulatory swimming to enhanced friction drag, power (=drag) coefficients should be higher for such fish. Areas are typically normalized with total length, L, as L² for comparison among species. Bluegill had a wetted surface area of 0.65 L², compared with areas of about 0.41 L² for trout of similar mass. However, absolute areas and volume^2/3 of bluegill and trout were similar. Power requirements and power coefficients calculated from kinematics during steady swimming were lower for bluegill sunfish than for cruisers, such as trout, and power coefficients were also lower than those of accelerators, such as tiger musky. Large body depth also damps inertial recoil arising from the side force generated largely by the tail. Inertial energy losses appear to be more important contributors than friction to mechanical power requirements.

Key words: swimming, recoil, drag, Lepomis macrochirus, bluegill

Accepted on August 21, 1991

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