Quantitative Reconstruction and Two-Dimensional, Steady Flow Hydrodynamics of the Plesiosaur Flipper
Date of Award
2013
Degree Name
Biological Sciences
College
College of Science
Type of Degree
M.S.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
F. Robin O’Keefe
Second Advisor
Paul Constantino
Third Advisor
Suzanne Strait
Abstract
Plesiosaurs are a group of extinct marine reptiles that thrived during the Mesozoic Era. They are unique for swimming with two hydrofoil-shaped flippers. Penguins, sea turtles, and cetaceans all have hydrofoil shaped flippers but penguins and sea turtles only use the front pair to produce thrust and cetaceans use their tail flukes. Consequently, the mode of swimming for plesiosaurs has long been debated. However, a quantitative study of the hydrodynamic properties of the flippers, which would constrain inference about their mode of swimming, has not yet been done. The main reason is that the trailing edge of the plesiosaur flipper is made up of soft tissue and does not fossilize. I present in this study a way to quantitatively reconstruct the shape of the functional flipper hydrofoil of the plesiosaurs. Subsequently, I present the first quantitative description of the hydrodynamic properties of plesiosaur flippers.
Subject(s)
Plesiosauria.
Recommended Citation
DeBlois, Mark Cruz, "Quantitative Reconstruction and Two-Dimensional, Steady Flow Hydrodynamics of the Plesiosaur Flipper" (2013). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 501.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/501
