Want to keep your ducks in a row? Ask a mother duck how she does it. She'll probably just quack, because her ducklings know by instinct that they should follow behind their mother in a single-file line. They do this whether walking or swimming, but it's the swimming that explains why they do it. The wake on the surface produced by the mother duck provides extra power for propelling the babies forward. Researchers from the University of Strathclyde published an account in The Journal of Fluid Mechanics that explains.
Using a mathematical and numerical model, the researchers found that when a duckling swims at a 'sweet point' behind its mother a 'destructive wave interference phenomenon' occurs. This causes the wave drag of the duckling to turn positive meaning the baby bird is actually pushed forward by the wave.
Interestingly this wave-riding benefit appears to be passed down to the rest of the ducklings in the line formation.
So basically, they are wake boarding. The mechanics of the wave action are explained in further detail at Phys Org.
(Image credit: apefrance at Pixabay)
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