The four-flipper swimming method of plesiosaurs enabled efficient and effective locomotion.

ABSTRACT: The extinct ocean-going plesiosaurs were unique within vertebrates because they used two flipper pairs identical in morphology for propulsion. Although fossils of these Mesozoic marine reptiles have been known for more than two centuries, the function and dynamics of their tandem-flipper propulsion system has always been unclear and controversial. We address this question quantitatively for the first time in this study, reporting a series of precisely controlled water tank experiments that use reconstructed plesiosaur flippers scaled from well-preserved fossils. Our aim was to determine which limb movements would have resulted in the most efficient and effective propulsion. We show that plesiosaur hind flippers generated up to 60% more thrust and 40% higher efficiency when operating in har

SUBMITTER: Muscutt LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5577481 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature