| Jellyfish represent one of the earliest and simplest examples of swimming by a macroscopic organism. Through a process of elastic deformation and recoil, jellyfish propulsion is generated via the coordinated contraction of its elastic bell by its coronal swimming muscles and a complementary re-expansion that is passively driven by stored elastic energy. In this thesis, I begin by first examining the role of mechanical resonance in producing faster or more efficient locomotion. I then examine the mechanics of oblate jellyfish swimming by incorporating material models that are informed by the musculature present in jellyfish into a model of an elastic bell in three dimensions. I then examine the effects of scaling on oblate bell forward swimming by examining the work of the musculature and the cost of transport involved. Lastly, I then shift my focus onto how the underlying acephalic neuromuscular organization of their bell allows for complicated swimming behaviors, such as steering and maneuvering. |
