Walker J A
Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.
J Exp Biol. 2000 Nov;203(Pt 22):3391-6. doi: 10.1242/jeb.203.22.3391.
Whether a rigid body limits maneuverability depends on how maneuverability is defined. By the current definition, the minimum radius of the turn, a rigid-bodied, spotted boxfish Ostracion meleagris approaches maximum maneuverability, i.e. it can spin around with minimum turning radii near zero. The radius of the minimum space required to turn is an alternative measure of maneuverability. By this definition, O. meleagris is not very maneuverable. The observed space required by O. meleagris to turn is slightly greater than its theoretical minimum but much greater than that of highly flexible fish. Agility, the rate of turning, is related to maneuverability. The median- and pectoral-fin-powered turns of O. meleagris are slow relative to the body- and caudal-fin-powered turns of more flexible fish.
刚体是否会限制机动性取决于机动性是如何定义的。按照当前的定义，即转弯的最小半径，硬体的斑点箱鲀（Ostracion meleagris）接近最大机动性，也就是说它能够以接近零的最小转弯半径旋转。转弯所需的最小空间半径是机动性的另一种衡量方式。按照这个定义，斑点箱鲀的机动性并不强。观察发现，斑点箱鲀转弯所需的空间略大于其理论最小值，但远大于高度灵活的鱼类。敏捷性，即转弯速度，与机动性相关。相对于更灵活鱼类由身体和尾鳍驱动的转弯，斑点箱鲀由背鳍和胸鳍驱动的转弯速度较慢。
