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First published online June 29, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 2411-2418 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02790
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Swimming kinematics of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris): hydrodynamic analysis of an undulatory mammalian swimmer

Tricia Kojeszewski and Frank E. Fish*

Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, USA


Figure 1
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  		Fig. 1. Structure of the caudal flukes of the manatee. (A) Photograph of manatee showing position of caudal flukes. (B) Midsagittal section of tail flukes from CT (computer tomography) scan. Vertebrae are shown as dense blocks with flattened anterior and posterior ends. (C) Parasagittal section from CT scan of fluke at approximately 50% position midway between the central body axis and lateral tip. (D,E) Three-dimensional construction of fluke blades from CT scans.

 

Figure 2
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  		Fig. 2. Outlines of swimming manatee. (A) The position of points (red circles) on body used for kinematic analysis. The horizontal line represents the body length of the manatee and vertical lines represent the peak-to-peak amplitude of each point. (B) Sequential outlines of the lateral view of a swimming manatee during one complete stroke cycle. Maximum vertical displacement is confined to the tip of the caudal flukes moving along a sinusoidal pathway.

 

Figure 3
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  		Fig. 3. Frequency distribution of absolute (A) and length-specific (B) swimming speeds of captive manatees.

 

Figure 4
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  		Fig. 4. Relationship of stroke frequency (f) with respect to swimming speed (U). The line is a least-square regression; see text for regression equation.

 

Figure 5
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  		Fig. 5. Comparison of thrust power (Pt) as a function of swimming speed (U/BL) for the manatee and four cetaceans. The black line represents the calculated thrust power for an average manatee using Lighthill's bulk momentum model (see text). Colored lines show Pt for beluga Delphinapterus leucas, killer whale Orcinus orca, false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens and bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (from Fish, 1998bGo).

 

Figure 6
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  		Fig. 6. Relationship of propulsive efficiency ({eta}p) and swimming speed (U/BL). The black line represents the calculated efficiency for an average manatee using Lighthill's bulk momentum model (see text). Color lines show Pt for beluga Delphinapterus leucas, killer whale Orcinus orca, false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens and bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (from Fish, 1998bGo).

 




© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2007