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Updated: Sep 29, 2025
05:12
Swimming Performance Assessment in Fishes
Published on: May 20, 2011
25.7K
The fish ability to accelerate and suddenly turn in fast maneuvers
Damiano Paniccia1, Giorgio Graziani2, Claudio Lugni3,4,5
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy. damiano.paniccia@uniroma1.it.
Scientific Reports
|March 24, 2022
Summary
Fish achieve incredible speed and turning by manipulating water dynamics. This study reveals how added mass and transient fluid interactions, not just wake vortices, enable their remarkable maneuverability for survival.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Biomechanics
- Animal locomotion
Background:
- Fish exhibit extraordinary maneuverability, including rapid acceleration and tight turns, crucial for predator-prey interactions.
- Existing research primarily focuses on the vortical wake, which is insufficient to explain complex transient motions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of fluid dynamics, specifically added mass and transient phenomena, in fish maneuverability.
- To understand the interplay between potential and vortical impulses during fish self-propulsion.
Main Methods:
- A two-dimensional impulse model with concentrated vorticity was employed.
- The study focused on the water set in motion by a deformable body in an unbounded fluid domain.
Main Results:
- The research highlights the significance of added mass and transient fluid dynamics in enabling extreme fish maneuvers.
- Analysis distinguished between potential and vortical impulses, revealing their interaction during recoil motions.
Conclusions:
- Fish maneuverability is intricately linked to their interaction with the aquatic environment, particularly transient fluid dynamics.
- Understanding added mass and impulse interplay is key to unlocking the secrets of fish agility.
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