Survival hydrodynamics

Abstract

Fish escaping from predators exhibit amazing acceleration. The hydrodynamic mechanisms employed to power this acceleration are highlighted in the paper by Gazzola, van Rees & Koumoutsakos (J. Fluid Mech., this issue, vol. 698, 2012, pp. 5-17), showing that the fish bends its entire body and caudal fin, in order to entrap and then accelerate as large a mass of water as possible. It is also shown that hydrodynamic optimization drives the fast-start kinematics. © 2012 Cambridge University Press.