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Anatomy Physiology

  • Bird in flight. Flight is a mode of locomotion that has co-evolved in several lineages in the animal kingdom. Here, we see a roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) in flight over Everglades National Park in Florida. Photo credit: Brian K. Mealey.

    It's a bird! It's a plane! It's biomechanics!

    Learning Objectives
    Students will be able to:
    • identify and define forces that act on an object in flight.
    • understand the definition of Newton’s third law of motion, which states that with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and apply this principle to explain pressure differences and lift generation.
    • generate hypotheses about animal flight efficiency based on examining morphology (anatomy).
    • generate hypotheses correlating wing size and performance during flight.
    • apply their understanding of wing designs and wing relationships to total mass.
    • compare flight principles among animals to understand the co-evolution in several animal groups.