Posts Tagged ‘swimming’
Predator X – Giant Jurassic Sea Reptile Fossils Found in Arctic
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on March 20th, 2009
An illustration of a pliosaur, with its crushing bite force, on attack. -Atlantic Productions
Scientists digging in the arctic island regions of Norway have found the enormous remains of a new member in a family of ancient ocean reptiles, called pliosaurs, that lived during the reign of the dinosaurs. This sea hunter was at least 50 feet long and weighed 45 tons. The skull alone measures 10 feet long as well as the front two flippers. The average length of previously studied pliosaurs is about 16-20 feet. It is estimated that Predator X had a bite 2-3 times as powerful as T-Rex and 100 times more powerful than any animal alive today, at 33,000 pounds. As the top predator in it’s habitat, Predator X probably fed on fish, squid and other marine reptiles, such as the long necked plesiosaur and the dolphin like ichthyosaurs.
Excavating the Skull of Predator X - Kelly Nobay
The story of the discovery and excavation of Predator X will be shown in a documentary on the History Channel on March 29th at 8pm.
Why a Speeding Shark is Like a Golf Ball
Posted by: Avi in New Discoveries on November 10th, 2008
Shortfin mako sharks can swim at an amazing, 50 miles per hour. That is fast!!! But how do they do it? Scientists think they have discovered the answer.
The sharks have special scales across their skin that they raise up when they need to swim at a fast speed. This creates tiny wells on their body and actually helps them to move faster by reducing drag. It seems strange that by raising these minute scales that they could reduce drag (wouldn’t it create drag and make them slow down like millions of tiny parachutes?). But their scales work along the same principles as a golf ball does with it many dimples.
The idea is that the dimples on the golf ball and the scales on a shark create tiny whirlpools within the cavities. These whirlpools create a “buffer layer” between the surface of the shark and the fast moving water around it. Basically it is like moving a heavy box over marbles rather than dragging it across the floor.
The whirlpools also prevent a turbulent wake from forming behind the shark. A wake behind an object (for sharks as well as boats) has the effect of slowing it down and making harder to turn.
Scientists hope to use this discovery to design faster and more manuverable underwater vehicles and aircraft.
