What is the difference between a fin and a flipper?

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ESL forum > Ask for help > What is the difference between a fin and a flipper?

What is the difference between a fin and a flipper?

What is the difference between a fin and a flipper?

Dear colleagues,

could you explain the difference between a fin and a flipper?

My intuition tells me that a fin is on a shark (such as a dorsal fin)

and a flipper is a moving part of a water animal (such as dolphin�s flippers or turtle�s flipper).

What about fish, what do we use with fish?

In our language there is no difference between a fin and a flipper.

Thanks in advance.

Mattea

4 Feb 2017

redcamarocruiser

A flipper has hand bones covered up by muscle and "skin" See fin physiology here. http://www.ehow.com/facts_7642949_difference-between-flippers-fins.html

"There aren �t any bones or cartilage in the dorsal fin and flukes. Instead, they �re made up of dense connective tissue."

http://oceantoday.noaa.gov/killerwhaleanatomy/

"The main features of the fish, the fins, are bony fin rays and,

except for the caudal fin, have no direct connection with the

spine."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_anatomy

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Image:dolphin-anatomy.jpg (illustration)

4 Feb 2017

redcamarocruiser

The skeleton of a dolphin shows that the flipper has bones, but there are no bones where the dorsal fin would be.

http://visual.merriam-webster.com/animal-kingdom/marine-mammals/dolphin/skeleton-dolphin.php

4 Feb 2017

Thank you for your answers.

So, when describing a dolphin, a whale or a turtle, it is best to use the expression flippers

and when describing a fish or a shark, it is best to use fins.

I need the descriptions for children in the elementary level;

therefore I don �t want to get too complicated, yet I want to be accurate.

Thanks again.

Mattea

4 Feb 2017

yanogator

But a whale has a dorsal fin, too.

Bruce

4 Feb 2017

Thanks to all of you helping me out.

Have a nice day.

5 Feb 2017