Sharks Use Golf Ball Technology to Hunt
by Stephen Adams
Sharks use a similar technology to the dimples that help a golf ball to fly straight to make sudden changes in direction in the water at full speed, physicists have found. They use barely visible scales on their skin to control the flow of water over their bodies, that they can tilt at up to 60 degrees in an instant. The ability to turn so swiftly in the water makes the predators even better hunters, said Amy Lang of the University of Alabama in the US. She explained that like a golf ball's dimples, sharks had tiny ridges of teeth called mako scales that helped reduce the turbulence caused by the fish as they pass through the water. The turbulence is caused by what physicists call flow separation, where the flow at the surface breaks away and creates eddies that slow the object down. Dr Lang said: "In nature, if you look at surfaces of animals, you'll see that they are not smooth. November 30, 2010 Copyright © 2010 Daily Telegraph
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