natatoria

Natatoria is a term found in biological literature that derives from the Latin natator, meaning swimmer. The word is used with varied meanings across different contexts, and its precise sense can depend on the historical or taxonomic framework in which it appears. In general, natatoria relates to swimming or to organisms and traits associated with aquatic locomotion.

In some older or historical classifications, natatoria has been used as a formal taxon name to denote a group of free-swimming or swimming-related forms, sometimes contrasted with groups characterized by walking or crawling. Modern systematics, however, rarely retain Natatoria as a formal, widely recognized taxon, and it is not part of current standard taxonomic schemes. When encountered in contemporary writing, natatoria more often signals a descriptive or functional sense rather than a standing classification.

A more common contemporary usage describes natatorial or natatorial adaptations—traits that facilitate swimming. This includes morphological features such as webbed feet, lobed or paddle-like limbs, streamlined bodies, and other structures that enhance aquatic locomotion. The related noun natation denotes the act or process of swimming, and the adjective natatorial is frequently used to characterize organisms, limbs, or behaviors specialized for swimming.

See also natation; natatorial; swimming adaptations in animals.