Metachronal Swimming with Flexible Legs: A Kinematics Analysis of the Midwater Polychaete Tomopteris.

Aquatic animals have developed a wide array of adaptations specific to life underwater, many of which are related to moving in the water column. Different swimming methods have emerged, such as lift-based flapping, drag-based body undulations, and paddling. Patterns occur across scales and taxa, where animals with analogous body features use similar locomotory methods.