Why do marine mammals sway their tails vertically, while fish sway them horizontally?
In: Biology
Sea “creatures” use their tails depending upon their design orientation.
Fish with vertical tails wiggle them left to right for locomotion.
Whales, dolphins, manatees and fish with horizontal tails wiggle them up and down to provide locomotion.
It depends on their individual design…
But Fish have vertical tails and some marine mammals, such as whales, have horizontal tailfins, have those due to the way their back moves. It’s all in the spine. Fish move their spine left to right, so their tail needs to be vertical to be the most efficient. This is how their spine is built.
Most fish swim vertically oriented but flat fish, plaice and sole – for example – are horizontally oriented and use their tails and flap them vertically for locomotion.
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