TWO DOLPHINS??
TWO DOLPHINS??
Ok, so I'm going through all my pictures, getting ready to upload them to my online album, when I did a double-take on that dolphin's tail and now I'm wondering if we had TWO dolphins out there that day! Take a look at the two pictures below and tell me if you think these are two different fish? (I know a dolphin's not a "fish"). The tails look different to me. What do you think?
Last edited by California Girl on Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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the tail change shape.
"As the tail oscillates up and down, it provides lift that is channeled into forward movement, giving the animal thrust. Fish has placed dolphin flukes through CT scans to examine their shape as they bend. He has found that their geometry can change into an arch. The curve is crucial for one tiny moment of every stroke the dolphin makes—the exact moment it switches between up and down. Were the tail perfectly flat, it would lie in a plane with water flowing over it, and for an instant it would not provide any lift. When the tail arches, it probably never lies perfectly flat, and the dolphin doesn't lose thrust."
"As the tail oscillates up and down, it provides lift that is channeled into forward movement, giving the animal thrust. Fish has placed dolphin flukes through CT scans to examine their shape as they bend. He has found that their geometry can change into an arch. The curve is crucial for one tiny moment of every stroke the dolphin makes—the exact moment it switches between up and down. Were the tail perfectly flat, it would lie in a plane with water flowing over it, and for an instant it would not provide any lift. When the tail arches, it probably never lies perfectly flat, and the dolphin doesn't lose thrust."
Margo
Looks like for sure you had two different Dolphins that day. The second picture looks to be an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin. The first picture I’m not sure of. I have never seen a dolphin with that type of crescent tail. I’ll see if I can find one on the web – you got me wondering.
Looks like for sure you had two different Dolphins that day. The second picture looks to be an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin. The first picture I’m not sure of. I have never seen a dolphin with that type of crescent tail. I’ll see if I can find one on the web – you got me wondering.
FlaGeorge
"Swim Against The Current - Even a Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow"
"Swim Against The Current - Even a Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow"
Very interesting. As a geeky engineer who's studied aerodynamics and fluid dynamics, it makes sense that the tail would change shape like aileron/elevators do on airplanes.kirk wrote:the tail change shape.
"As the tail oscillates up and down, it provides lift that is channeled into forward movement, giving the animal thrust. Fish has placed dolphin flukes through CT scans to examine their shape as they bend. He has found that their geometry can change into an arch. The curve is crucial for one tiny moment of every stroke the dolphin makes—the exact moment it switches between up and down. Were the tail perfectly flat, it would lie in a plane with water flowing over it, and for an instant it would not provide any lift. When the tail arches, it probably never lies perfectly flat, and the dolphin doesn't lose thrust."
Who is "fish"?
I just Googled dolphin tails and found the article that Kirk posted. "Fish" is Biolgist Frank Fish (great name for a marine biologist, don't you think?!) Here's the link, but I don't have any more time right now to research further.
http://discovermagazine.com/2006/feb/physics-swimming
Keep looking FlaGeorge!
I wonder sometimes if maybe Splash is a trained dolphin that got lost from some "swim with the dolphins" place or an aquarium during Hurricane Katrina, or something like that. Maybe she has a pod that she associates with (how else would she have a baby?). I'd love to know!
http://discovermagazine.com/2006/feb/physics-swimming
Keep looking FlaGeorge!
I wonder sometimes if maybe Splash is a trained dolphin that got lost from some "swim with the dolphins" place or an aquarium during Hurricane Katrina, or something like that. Maybe she has a pod that she associates with (how else would she have a baby?). I'd love to know!