  In this fluid dynamics video we explore an array of different possible
dynamics for a flexible filament sedimenting in a viscous fluid. The
time-dependent shapes and trajectories of the filament are determined
analytically and numerically by balancing viscous, elastic and gravitational
forces in a slender-body theory for zero-Reynolds number flows. The dynamics
are characterized by a single dimensionless elasto-gravitation number. The
video shows the process of filament relaxation and reorientation, the formation
of particle clouds, and finally a buckling instability.
