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Quadrupedalism is a form of locomotion where animals have four legs that are used to bear weight and move around. An animal or machine that usually maintains a four-legged posture and moves using all four legs is said to be a quadruped (from Latin quattuor for "four", and pes , pedis for "foot").
When walking, a horse's legs follow this sequence: left hind leg, left front leg, right hind leg, right front leg, in a regular 1-2-3-4 beat. At the walk, the horse will always have one foot raised and the other three feet on the ground, save for a brief moment when weight is being transferred from one foot to another.
In walking, and for many animals running, the motion of legs on either side of the body alternates, i.e. is out of phase. Other animals, such as a horse when galloping, or an inchworm, alternate between their front and back legs. In saltation (hopping) all legs move together, instead of alternating. As a main means of locomotion, this is ...
The scientists then calculated the energy expended by the baboons transitioning from four to two legs. They found that as the animals reared up, their energy consumption tripled – but the ...
In terrestrial vertebrates, digitigrade (/ ˈ d ɪ dʒ ɪ t ɪ ˌ ɡ r eɪ d /) [1] locomotion is walking or running on the toes (from the Latin digitus, 'finger', and gradior, 'walk').A digitigrade animal is one that stands or walks with its toes (phalanges) on the ground, and the rest of its foot lifted.
Quadrupedal species normally synchronize the locomotor and respiratory cycles at a constant ratio of 1:1 (strides per breath) in both the trot and gallop. Human runners differ from quadrupeds in that while running they employ several phase-locked patterns (4:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 5:2, and 3:2), although a 2:1 coupling ratio appears to be favored.
Knuckle-walking is a form of quadrupedal walking in which the forelimbs hold the fingers in a partially flexed posture that allows body weight to press down on the ground through the knuckles. Gorillas and chimpanzees use this style of locomotion, as do anteaters and platypuses. Knuckle-walking helps with actions other than locomotion on the ...
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