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American Zoologist 2000 40(1):146-155; doi:10.1093/icb/40.1.146
© 2000 by The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
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To Bend a Dolphin: Convergence of Force Transmission Designs in Cetaceans and Scombrid Fishes1

D. Ann Pabst2,1
1 Biological Sciences and Center for Marine Science Research, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403

The similarity in swimming style and external body shape between dolphins and scombrid fishes, especially tunas, is a textbook example of evolutionary convergence. I identify additional morphological features of the musculoskeletal system shared by dolphins and tunas. Specifically, these swimmers share a pattern of force transmission through a complex, three-dimensional system of collagenous fabrics, which are stiffened by muscular hydrostatic pressure. This force transmission system increases both the displacement advantage and moment arm of contracting axial muscle. These features represent a functionally significant design for steady swimming vertebrates.


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