Hi there. I absolutely love the site, and have to thank all of you members for volunteering your time to help increase the level of knowledge in the world.
This question is something I've always wondered about, ever since I was a kid:
Which method of propulsion is more efficient in water - the vertical flexing motion of whales and dolphins, or the horizontal flexing of most fish?
I realise it may be a very Panglossian question, and I know why each group moves the way they do, but as you might almost say the environment they are applied in are the same, they could be compared. I wondered if anyone had done any studies, taking into account other influencing factors such as muscle density, body temperature etc.
An odd question with possibly no merit I know, but I've always wondered
M