Drag-based 'hovering' in ducks: the hydrodynamics and energetic cost of bottom feeding.

Diving ducks use their webbed feet to provide the propulsive force that moves them underwater. To hold position near the bottom while feeding, ducks paddle constantly to resist the buoyant force of the body. Using video sequences from two orthogonal cameras we reconstructed the 3-dimensional motion...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gal Ribak, John G Swallow, David R Jones
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2010-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC2935360?pdf=render