Pinnipeds are amphibious mammals with flippers, which function for both aquatic and terrestrial locomotion. Evolution of the flippers has placed constraints on the terrestrial locomotion of phocid seals. The detailed kinematics of terrestrial locomotion of gray ( Halichoerus grypus ) and harbor ( Phoca vitulina ) seals was studied in captivity and in the wild using video analysis. The seals exhibited dorsoventral undulations w...

The projected rise in sea level is likely to increase the vulnerability of coastal zones in the Caribbean, which are already under pressure from a combination of anthropogenic activities and natural processes. One of the major effects will be a loss of beach habitat, which provides nesting sites for endangered sea turtles. To assess the potential impacts of sea‐level rise on sea turtle nesting habitat, we used beach profile me...

A bstract Large predators should have difficulty catching small prey because small animals demonstrate greater maneuverability and agility compared to large animals. The ability of a predator to capture small prey indicates locomotor strategies to compensate for inequities in maneuverability. Bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) in Sarasota Bay, Florida feed on fish at least one order of magnitude smaller than themselves...