Hydrodynamic properties of fin whale flippers predict maximum rolling performance

@article{Segre2016HydrodynamicPO,
  title={Hydrodynamic properties of fin whale flippers predict maximum rolling performance},
  author={Paolo S. Segre and David E. Cade and Frank E. Fish and Jean Potvin and Ann N. Allen and John Calambokidis and Ari S. Friedlaender and Jeremy A. Goldbogen},
  journal={Journal of Experimental Biology},
  year={2016},
  volume={219},
  pages={3315 - 3320}
}
ABSTRACT Maneuverability is one of the most important and least understood aspects of animal locomotion. The hydrofoil-like flippers of cetaceans are thought to function as control surfaces that effect maneuvers, but quantitative tests of this hypothesis have been lacking. Here, we constructed a simple hydrodynamic model to predict the longitudinal-axis roll performance of fin whales, and we tested its predictions against kinematic data recorded by on-board movement sensors from 27 free… 
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