Dataset Information

Hydrodynamic role of longitudinal dorsal ridges in a leatherback turtle swimming.

ABSTRACT: Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are known to have a superior diving ability and be highly adapted to pelagic swimming. They have five longitudinal ridges on their carapace. Although it was conjectured that these ridges might be an adaptation for flow control, no rigorous study has been performed to understand their hydrodynamic roles. Here we show that these ridges are slightly misaligned to the streamlines around the body to generate streamwise vortices, and suppress or delay flow separation on the carapace, resulting in enhanced hydrodynamic performances during different modes of swimming. Our results suggest that shapes of some morphological features of living creatures, like the longitudinal ridges of the leatherback turtles, need not be streamlined for excellent hydro- or aerodynamic performances, contrary to our common physical intuition.

SUBMITTER: Bang K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5046118 | biostudies-other | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Hydrodynamic role of longitudinal dorsal ridges in a leatherback turtle swimming.

Bang Kyeongtae K Kim Jooha J Lee Sang-Im SI Choi Haecheon H

Scientific reports 20161003

Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are known to have a superior diving ability and be highly adapted to pelagic swimming. They have five longitudinal ridges on their carapace. Although it was conjectured that these ridges might be an adaptation for flow control, no rigorous study has been performed to understand their hydrodynamic roles. Here we show that these ridges are slightly misaligned to the streamlines around the body to generate streamwise vortices, and suppress or delay flo ...[more]

PMID: 27694826

Similar Datasets

Project description:Animals that swim using appendages do so by way of rowing and/or flapping motions. Often considered discrete categories, rowing and flapping are more appropriately regarded as points along a continuum. The pig-nosed turtle, Carettochelys insculpta, is unusual in that it is the only freshwater turtle to have limbs modified into flippers and swim via synchronous forelimb motions that resemble dorsoventral flapping, traits that evolved independently from their presence in sea turtles. We used high-speed videography to quantify forelimb kinematics in C. insculpta and a closely related, highly aquatic rower (Apalone ferox). Comparisons of our new data with those previously collected for a generalized freshwater rower (Trachemys scripta) and a flapping sea turtle (Caretta caretta) allow us to: (1) more precisely quantify and characterize the range of limb motions used by flappers versus rowers, and (2) assess whether the synchronous forelimb motions of C. insculpta can be classified as flapping (i.e. whether they exhibit forelimb kinematics and angles of attack more similar to closely related rowing species or more distantly related flapping sea turtles). We found that the forelimb kinematics of previously recognized rowers (T. scripta and A. ferox) were most similar to each other, but that those of C. insculpta were more similar to rowers than to flapping C. caretta. Nevertheless, of the three freshwater species, C. insculpta was most similar to flapping C. caretta. 'Flapping' in C. insculpta is achieved through humeral kinematics very different from those in C. caretta, with C. insculpta exhibiting significantly more anteroposterior humeral motion and protraction, and significantly less dorsoventral humeral motion and depression. Based on several intermediate kinematic parameters and angle of attack data, C. insculpta may in fact represent a synchronous rower or hybrid rower-flapper, suggesting that traditional views of C. insculpta as a flapper should be revised.

Project description:Hatchling sea turtles emerge from nests, crawl down the beach and enter the sea where they typically enter a stereotypical hyperactive swimming frenzy. During this swim the front flippers are moved up and down in a flapping motion and are the primary source of thrust production. I used high-speed video linked with simultaneous measurement of thrust production in tethered hatchlings, along with high-speed video of free swimming hatchlings swimming at different water speeds in a swim flume to investigate the links between kinematics of front flipper movement, thrust production and swimming speed. In particular I tested the hypotheses that (1) increased swimming speed is achieved through an increased stroke rate; (2) force produced per stroke is proportional to stroke amplitude, (3) that forward thrust is produced during both the down and up phases of stroking; and (4) that peak thrust is produced towards the end of the downstroke cycle. Front flipper stroke rate was independent of water speed refuting the hypothesis that swimming speed is increased by increasing stroke rate. Instead differences in swimming speed were caused by a combination of varying flipper amplitude and the proportion of time spent powerstroking. Peak thrust produced per stroke varied within and between bouts of powerstroking, and these peaks in thrust were correlated with both flipper amplitude and flipper angular momentum during the downstroke supporting the hypothesis that stroke force is a function of stroke amplitude. Two distinct thrust production patterns were identified, monophasic in which a single peak in thrust was recorded during the later stages of the downstroke, and biphasic in which a small peak in thrust was recorded at the very end of the upstroke and this followed by a large peak in thrust during the later stages of the downstroke. The biphasic cycle occurs in ?20% of hatchlings when they first started swimming, but disappeared after one to two hours of swimming. The hypothesis that forward thrust is produced during both the up and down stroke was only supported relatively rarely in hatchlings that exhibited the diphasic cycle, the majority of time forward thrust was only produced during the downstroke phase. The hypothesis that peak forward thrust is produced during the end of the downstroke was supported in both the monophasic and biphasic thrust producing stroke cycles.

Dataset Information

Hydrodynamic role of longitudinal dorsal ridges in a leatherback turtle swimming.

Publications

Hydrodynamic role of longitudinal dorsal ridges in a leatherback turtle swimming.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets