#Webbed human feet series

'I know now that the force with which I hit the water is definitely greater if I spread my fingers this way.'įollow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter or LiveScience.

#Webbed human feet series

Coots have lobate feet, where the toes have a series of webbed lobes that open when the foot is pushed backwardsmuch like the base of a push pole used by duck hunters to traverse the marsh. 'I've been experimenting with this myself when I swim,' Bejan said. Ducks and geese have palmate feet, where only the three front toes are webbed and the hind toe (called the hallux) is small and elevated. They're also handy for those trying to beat personal bests in the water. These breeds are all unique and have certain qualities that are worth learning more about if you and your family are considering adopting one of the types of dogs with webbed feet. The findings could have implications for better swimming robots and propulsion systems, Bejan said. These webbed feet are specific to breeds that have been known throughout history to have a certain affinity for swimming or hunting waterfowl. For aspiring swimmers at home, the perfect spacing is between 0.2 and 0.4 times the diameter of the finger itself. With ideal finger spacing, the forces a swimmer can exert are 53 percent greater than those produced with no finger spacing, Bejan and his colleagues reported online June 9 in the Journal of Theoretical Biology. 'The higher you are above the water, the faster you fall forward and you see this effect in greater speed,' Bejan said. Any dog that has webbed paws will typically have been bred to have this trait emphasized. In rare cases, the fingers or toes may be connected by bone. This force propels the swimmers out of the water, where they then fall forward, generating a horizontal wave. Webbed fingers and toes occur when tissue connects two or more digits together. Swimmers push against the water's surface not unlike South American basilisk lizards, which can scamper on top of water by slapping their big feet against the surface. That's where the speed comes from, Bejan said. In human swimmers, the invisible web of water allows them not to propel themselves faster, but to better lift themselves out of the water. Male giant otters average 26 to 34 kg (57-75 lbs.), while females average 22 to 26 kg (49-57 lbs.).

Webbed feet and hands, of course, are a common trait of swimming animals from frogs to whales. The giant otter averages 145 to 180 cm (57-71 in.), with a maximum recorded length of 240 cm (94 in.). 'It's like having an invisible web,' he said.