Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) use their flippers to maneuver (turn, dive, surface) and control stability as they swimming in their aquatic environment. The wing-like design of the flippers can determine their performance and ultimately their use with respect to the ecology of the animal. The three-dimensional design of cetacean flippers will be examined by CAT-scan (Computer Assisted Tomography). Flippers will be obtained from dead, stranded animals. At least 20 different species will be compared, including the bottlenose dolphin, harbor porpoise, minke whale and humpback whale. These data will be used to construct flipper models to test in wind and water tunnels to determine their hydrodynamic performance. Cetaceans with short, rounded flippers should be highly maneuverable, whereas animals with highly tapered, triangular flippers should be rapid swimmers. The hydrodynamic data in conjunction with the shape data will be used to define ecological types. It is expected that this data will help to determine the habits of animals for which there are few observations. As a Research at Undergraduate Institution (RUI) study, student education will be enhanced by their involvement in the research effort including travel to scientific meetings. An additional impact of this work is in the potential engineering application of cetacean flipper design in the construction of bio-inspired water vehicles.
