Aquatic locomotion

Aquatic locomotion or swimming is biologically propelled motion through a liquid medium. Swimming by different mechanisms has evolved repeatedly in organisms including arthropods, fish, molluscs, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Many single-celled organisms including bacteria and ciliates use motile organelles, cilia or flagella, while others use pseudopodia, temporary projections of the cell body powered by the cytoskeletal protein actin. Larger organisms may swim by undulating their bodies, as in many fish and worms; by jet propulsion, as in cephalopods such as squid; or by moving flippers like wings, as in sea turtles.

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