Propulsion performance of swimming penguins

What is it about?

The work clearly demonstrates that penguins employ efficient propulsion mechanisms. Specifically, dimensionless indicators of propulsive performance (Strouhal, Reynolds and swimming numbers) are computed for several species of seabirds, including alcids, and the comparison across species of such propulsion indicators neatly suggests that penguins are efficient swimmers.

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Photo by Al Soot on Unsplash

Photo by Al Soot on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Understanding the swimming behaviour of penguins is not only important in its own right but may also provide critical insights for biomimicry design.