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From a mechanical perspective, an animal´s shape and the topological connection of its organs are important factors in locomotion. This book describes the physical relationships between form, habitat, way of life, and movement in living creatures. It includes in-depth mechanical and mathematical analyses of the way in which creatures move about, and it also investigates dispersal modes of plants and animals within the framework of flying and swimming. The book is written from the viewpoint of mechanics, specifically fluid dynamics and flight dynamics, rather than from that of physiology and ecology. It will prove a useful reference for aeronautical and mechanical engineers as well as for biologists who use mechanical analyses in the study of behaviour, function, and locomotion.

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1 Introduction.- 1.1 Form and Locomotion.- 1.2 Dynamic Similarity.- 2 Dragging, Floating, and Jumping.- 2.1 Terminal Speed of Free-falling Bodies.- 2.2 Drifting in Air.- 2.3 Drifting in Water.- 2.4 Jumping and Free Falling.- 3 Flight by Gliding.- 3.1 Wing Characteristics.- 3.2 Gliding Flight in Birds.- 3.3 Wind Effects on Gliding Flight.- 3.4 Auxiliary Devices.- 3.5 Other Forms of Gliding Flight.- 3.6 Rotary Seeds.- 4 Flight by Beating.- 4.1 Powered Flight.- 4.2 Wing Motions.- 4.3 Power-Saving Flight.- 4.4 Flight in Insects.- 4.5 Flight Mechanics in Insects.- 5 Swimming by Snaking.- 5.1 Micro- and Medium-sized Elongate Organisms.- 5.2 Undulatory Motion of a Large Elongate Body.- 6 Swimming by Fanning.- 6.1 Fish.- 6.2 Slender Bodies.- 6.3 Fanning Mechanics.- 6.4 Cetacea and Sirenia.- 7 Swimming by Other Methods.- 7.1 Paddling and Whipping.- 7.2 Jetting.- 7.3 Sweeping.- 7.4 Beating.- 7.5 Sailing.- 7.6 Skating and Wave Riding.- 8 Conclusion.- 8.1 Concluding Remarks by Chapter.- 8.2 Wing Types and Body Forms.- 8.3 In Summary.- References and Further Reading.

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The book explains flying and swimming behaviours of living creatures in the sense of fluid and flight dynamics, in relation to their environment, way of life, form, and way of locomotion. The book will also prove a useful reference for biologists who need occasionally to use mechanical analyses of locomotion.

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