title: Convergent evolution in locomotory patterns of flying and swimming animals.
abstract: Locomotion is one of the major energetic costs faced by animals and various strategies have evolved to reduce its cost. Birds use interspersed periods of flapping and gliding to reduce the mechanical requirements of level flight while undergoing cyclical changes in flight altitude, known as undulating flight. Here we equipped free-ranging marine vertebrates with accelerometers and demonstrate that gait patterns resembling undulating flight occur in four marine vertebrate species comprising sharks and pinnipeds. Both sharks and pinnipeds display intermittent gliding interspersed with powered locomotion. We suggest, that the convergent use of similar gait patterns by distinct groups of animals points to universal physical and physiological principles that operate beyond taxonomic limits and shape common solutions to increase energetic efficiency. Energetically expensive large-scale migrations performed by many vertebrates provide common selection pressure for efficient locomotion, with potential for the convergence of locomotory strategies by a wide variety of species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park Swansea SA2 8PP, UK. adrian.gleiss@gmail.com
authors.forename: Adrian C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gleiss
authors.forename: Salvador J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jorgensen
authors.forename: Nikolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liebsch
authors.forename: Juan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Graeme C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Hays
authors.forename: Flavio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Quintana
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grundy
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Campagna
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Trites
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Block
authors.forename: Rory P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000220:Adaptation, Biological / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005426:Flight, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D046069:Fur Seals / Q000502:physiology*; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000502:physiology*; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012754:Sharks / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*; D013686:Telemetry