Why do humpback whales have such long fins?
These fins are specifically designed to be extremely hydrodynamic, allowing for easy movement through the water, despite their size. They are so efficient, that many wind turbine blades are designed based off of these fins.
Do all humpback whales have long flippers?
Humpbacks can grow to 60 feet (18 meters) long, and they can weigh a whopping 40 tons (about half the size of a blue whale), according to the NOAA. Their flippers can grow up to 16 feet (5 m) long, which is the largest appendage in the world. Like most whales, females are larger than males.
Why are whale fins bumpy?
The flippers of the humpback whale channel flow and increase aerodynamic efficiency due to tubercles or bumps. The whale’s surprising dexterity is due primarily to its non-conventional flippers, which have large, irregular looking bumps called tubercles across their leading edges.
Why do humpback whales have flippers?
Humpback whales use their flippers to create a barrier that traps gathered prey, which they can then usher towards their mouths by swatting the water. Using aerial photography and filming, researchers were able to capture this foraging strategy for the first time.
Why are barnacles bad for ships?
Moving objects like boat and ship hulls and whales are particularly vulnerable to the pesky critters. Large barnacle colonies cause ships to drag and burn more fuel, leading to significant economic and environmental costs. Barnacles secrete hard calcium plates that completely encase them.
How do you stop barnacles from growing?
A common way to prevent barnacles from vessels is to introduce a poisonous substance into the bottom paint mix. The poison is slowly released from the paint to deter invaders, but this can have negative effects on other marine life and ecosystems.
What makes barnacle glue so strong?
“The combination of silk fibroin, polydopamine and iron brings together the same hierarchy of bonding and cross-linking that makes these barnacle and mussel adhesives so strong,” said Marco Lo Presti, post-doctoral scholar in Omenetto’s lab and first author of the study.