Flipper (anatomy)

A flipper is a special body part that certain animals have, like dolphins, whales, seals, and turtles. It's like a hand or a foot, but it's shaped differently to help the animals swim and move around in the water. Instead of having fingers or toes, flippers are just one big, flat shape that can help create movement in the water.

Imagine you were a dolphin and you needed to swim really fast to catch some fish. Your flippers would be super useful because they can move up and down quickly, which helps propel you forward. When you need to change direction, you can use your flippers like rudders on a boat to steer.

What's more, flippers can also help these animals stay warm or cool. For example, when a sea turtle is cold, it can tuck its flippers close to its body to conserve heat. But when it's hot, the turtle will spread its flippers out to cool off in the breeze.

In short, the flipper is a special body part that helps some animals swim and move around in water. It's like a really cool hand or foot that's shaped just right for watery adventures!