ABSTRACT
The laws of physics are rigid and fixed. Animals, therefore, are restricted in their use of available energy in accordance to the constraints of mechanics and thermodynamics. The ability to control internal energy expenditures and exploit external energy sources permits fishes to reduce their energy for swimming. Locomotion is an energy demanding activity. Swimming by fishes permits them to seek out new energy resources, but comes at a cost to transport the body mass over a distance. The primary thrust of most research on swimming fishes has been concerned with the interaction of morphology, muscle physiology, and hydrodynamics. The use of intermittent locomotion has been demonstrated to reduce the energy cost of locomotion. Burst and coast swimming is a two-phase periodic behavior. Laboratory studies need to be performed in which metabolic measurements and electromyography are integrated with controlled flow tank experiments over a range of swimming speeds.
