Body Flexibility Enhances Maneuverability in the World’s Largest Predator
Body Flexibility Enhances Maneuverability in the World’s Largest Predator
复制标题
身体灵活性增强了世界上最大的掠食者的机动性
DOI：
10.1093/icb/icy121
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发表时间：
2018
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Goldbogen, J A
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Segre, P S;Cade, D E;Calambokidis, J;Fish, F E;Friedlaender, A S;Potvin, J;Goldbogen, J A
蓝鲸的特征通常是高度稳定的、在公海上游泳的人，他们牺牲了机动性来换取长距离巡航的表现。然而，最近的研究表明，蓝鲸实际上在水下表现出令人惊讶的复杂行为，但人们对这些动作的表现和控制知之甚少。在这里，我们使用配备摄像头的多传感器生物记录器来量化觅食蓝鲸所使用的运动动力学和控制面的运动。我们的结果表明，简单的动作(翻滚、转身和俯仰变化)是使用鳍状肢、吸盘和身体弯曲提供的控制和力量的不同组合来执行的，而复杂的轨迹是通过组合一系列简单的动作来构建的。此外，蓝鲸通过使用复杂的倾斜转弯来改善它们的转身性能，以利用它们强大的背腹灵活性。这些结果表明，身体灵活性在提高控制和动作性能方面发挥着重要作用，即使是在最大的动物中也是如此。利用人体来补充水动力活性表面的性能，可能代表了水生运动控制的一种新机制。
Blue whales are often characterized as highly stable, open-ocean swimmers who sacrifice maneuverability for long-distance cruising performance. However, recent studies have revealed that blue whales actually exhibit surprisingly complex underwater behaviors, yet little is known about the performance and control of these maneuvers. Here, we use multi-sensor biologgers equipped with cameras to quantify the locomotor dynamics and the movement of the control surfaces used by foraging blue whales. Our results revealed that simple maneuvers (rolls, turns, and pitch changes) are performed using distinct combinations of control and power provided by the flippers, the flukes, and bending of the body, while complex trajectories are structured by combining sequences of simple maneuvers. Furthermore, blue whales improve their turning performance by using complex banked turns to take advantage of their substantial dorso-ventral flexibility. These results illustrate the important role body flexibility plays in enhancing control and performance of maneuvers, even in the largest of animals. The use of the body to supplement the performance of the hydrodynamically active surfaces may represent a new mechanism in the control of aquatic locomotion.