Comparative Biomechanics
The search for the basic principles that govern biological processes requires, almost by definition, taking a comparative approach. Using a combination of flow visualization techniques and behavioral analyses of the locomotor patterns different aquatic species amenable to laboratory work such as medaka (Oryzias latipes), Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus), African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) and axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), we aim to describe the conserved principles underlying vertebrate displacement in fluids.