PENGUINS DO FLY

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

Having just spent the better part of the day wading through over 370 
emails, many of which did indeed address this point, I may be 
flogging a dead horse. But I feel someone else's perspective _might_ 
be useful.

Flight: all animals which locomote through any medium, and are not in 
contact with the substrate, via a motion of wing-shaped limbs or 
fins. Flying animals tend to have hydrofoil-shaped limbs and 
proportionally large propulsive surfaces: correspondingly, limb 
girdles are often well braced in the skeleton and anchor powerful 
musculature.

This is the definition that has been employed throughout zoology, and 
is the definition that is assumed to be the applicable one in the 
literature on locomotion. Thus: penguins, alcids and (so far as we 
know) plotopterids and mancallids all fly. Plesiosaurs, chelonid and 
protostegid turtles, and otariid pinnipeds all fly as well. It has 
been argued that ichthyosaurs flew, but this is debatable, and 
flight has also been proposed for _Inia_, _Neoceratodus_ and 
chimaeroids. I have observed weak flight in the latter, but in _Inia_ 
and _Neoceratodus_ true flight does not actually occur. Labrids and 
scabids also use flight. One deformed _Cephalorhynchus_ dolphin, kept 
in an American aquarium, learnt to fly but could only do so very 
ineffectively.

The principles, mechanics and engineering of subaqueous flight is no 
different from aerial flight.

Flying fish: most 'flying fish' do not fly, unless (as George does), 
you class gliding as a form of flight. Gastelopelecids (freshwater 
hatchetfish), which have been discussed on this list before, truly do 
fly however, and have extremely deep bodies with massive sterna and 
well muscled aerodynamic forefins which make a buzzing noise when 
employed. These fish can leave the water and fly aerially for short 
distances.. hence the need for a tank hood if you keep them in 
aquaria.

"I guess not even dromaeosaurs could stomach the French!"

DARREN NAISH
darren.naish@port.ac.uk