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There’s a scientific reason behind the ducklings swimming in a row behind their mother,
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Nationalgeographic.co.id—Turns out there’s a reason science behind children’s activities baby swimming line up behind his mother. With berengan in an orderly line behind his mother, the children baby it can ride the waves that follow them.
The boost of the waves generated from the movement of the mother in front has saved the children’s energy baby The researchers said in their study report published in the December 10 issue of the Journal of Fluid Mechanics. This study report has been published online by Cambridge University Press on October 5, 2021.
Previous measurements of duck metabolism have shown that chicks conserve energy when swimming behind their mothers. However, the physical explanation behind the savings is not yet known, as reported by Science News.
Using computer simulations of waterfowl waves, marine architect Zhiming Yuan of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and his fellow researchers calculated that ducklings swimming directly behind their mothers received propulsion.
Their study sought to answer three questions; why do ducklings swim like this, what formation is best, and how much energy is saved?
To estimate the force resistance that appears on the mother duck and her chicks swimming team, the research team developed a numerical model to simulate. The results of their study revealed two significant new findings.
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First, as quoted from IFL Science, experiments have shown that when the ducklings swim in the sweet spot directly behind the mother, the waves generated by the mother collide with the waves of the ducklings themselves. The waves generated by the mother interfere with the drag facing the ducklings so that on the contrary, the young ducks are pushed forward, not backward.
This means the ducklings spend less energy following their mother. Because, basically the ducklings seem to be surfing behind their mother, not swimming to generate their own forward momentum.
During the study, the researchers also realized that by bobbing in a row, the chicks could be essentially pushed forward so that each duckling in the row could have an easier ride, not just the first duck in the row.
Also Read: Surprising find, ducks in Australia can talk like humans
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The ducklings swim in a row behind their mother.
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The magic starts from the fourth position. If position one is the mother duck, the point at which each duck’s wave pull gradually tends to zero. This means that the “waves” created by the mother duck can pass from one chick to another without losing energy and provide the same forward motion.
Researchers refer to these two benefits as “riding the wave” and “skipping the wave”. They also suggest that these two things may represent a benefit that causes the ducks to develop this swimming behavior in a row.
“Our study reveals that the ducks apply the principles of wave riding and wave passing to reduce wave drag, improving their locomotion performance,” the researchers wrote in their study report.
“They (the ducks) most likely swam in a single-line formation, where each duckling could receive a harmonious benefit.”
The principle of the behavior of the ducks in riding the waves and crossing the waves may be imitated and applied in wider human life. For example, this principle might help the shipping industry.
“These principles have the potential to be applied to the design of modern freighters,” the researchers said. “For example, water trains, to transport more cargo without additional fuel costs.”
Also Read: Lambeosaurus, The Duck Snout Who Lived 90 Million Years Ago
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