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Life Sciences Commons

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Biology

2021

Kennesaw State University

Knifefish

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Contribution Of The Pectoral Fins, Body, And The Ribbon Fin To Turning Maneuvers Of A Gymnotiform Swimmer, Olivia Hawkins Apr 2021

The Contribution Of The Pectoral Fins, Body, And The Ribbon Fin To Turning Maneuvers Of A Gymnotiform Swimmer, Olivia Hawkins

Master of Science in Integrative Biology Theses

Turning is an ecologically important maneuver in fishes as it is used in prey detection, predator avoidance, and to navigate complex environments. Fishes with traditional control surfaces primarily use body bending and pectoral fins to turn. However, little is known about how fishes with atypical control surfaces facilitate turning. This study investigated the weakly electric Black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons: Apteronotidae) with an atypical control surface, namely a ribbon fin. To investigate how a fish with an atypical control surface performs turning maneuvers, A. albifrons was filmed performing small and large turns and during steady swimming using high …