Quadrupedalism: Difference between revisions
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{{distinguish| | {{distinguish|Tetrapod}} | ||
[[Image:Zebra sideview.jpg|thumb|The [[zebra]] is a quadruped.]] | [[Image:Zebra sideview.jpg|thumb|The [[zebra]] is a quadruped.]] | ||
{{Short description|Form of locomotion using four limbs}} | {{Short description|Form of locomotion using four limbs}} | ||
[[File:Brush Foot IMG 1205.jpg|thumb|The [[monarch butterfly]], while a quadruped, is not a tetrapod, but a hexapod. Arrow points to the miniature front leg not used for locomotion]] | [[File:Brush Foot IMG 1205.jpg|thumb|The [[monarch butterfly]], while a quadruped, is not a tetrapod, but a hexapod. Arrow points to the miniature front leg not used for locomotion.]] | ||
'''Quadrupedalism''' is a form of [[Animal locomotion|locomotion]] in which animals have four legs that are used to [[weight-bearing|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"). Quadruped animals are found among both [[vertebrate]]s and [[invertebrates]]. | '''Quadrupedalism''' is a form of [[Animal locomotion|locomotion]] in which animals have four legs that are used to [[weight-bearing|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"). Quadruped animals are found among both [[vertebrate]]s and [[invertebrates]]. | ||
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<!-- Note that [[Tetrapod]] may link here. Please bear this in mind, particularly if you are renaming the section. --> | <!-- Note that [[Tetrapod]] may link here. Please bear this in mind, particularly if you are renaming the section. --> | ||
Although the words | Although the words 'quadruped' and 'tetrapod' are both derived from terms meaning 'four-footed', they have distinct meanings. A [[tetrapod]] is any member of the [[Linnaean taxonomy|taxonomic]] unit '''[[Tetrapoda]]''' (which is defined by descent from a specific four-limbed ancestor), whereas a quadruped actually uses four limbs for locomotion. Not all tetrapods are quadrupeds and not all quadrupedal animals are tetrapods; some arthropods are adapted for four-footed locomotion, such as the [[raptorial]] [[Mantodea]], or mantises, and the [[Nymphalidae]], or brush-footed butterflies—the largest butterfly family, with ~6000 species, including the well-known [[monarch butterfly|monarch]] (see photo). | ||
The distinction between quadrupeds and tetrapods is important in [[evolutionary biology]], particularly in the context of tetrapods whose limbs have adapted to other roles (e.g., arms and hands in the case of humans, wings in the case of birds and bats, and fins in the case of whales). All of these animals are tetrapods, but not all are quadrupeds. Even snakes, whose limbs have become [[vestigial structure|vestigial]] or lost entirely, are, nevertheless, tetrapods. | The distinction between quadrupeds and tetrapods is important in [[evolutionary biology]], particularly in the context of tetrapods whose limbs have adapted to other roles (e.g., arms and hands in the case of humans, wings in the case of birds and bats, and fins in the case of whales). All of these animals are tetrapods, but not all are quadrupeds. Even snakes, whose limbs have become [[vestigial structure|vestigial]] or lost entirely, are, nevertheless, tetrapods. | ||
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[[File:CA8-Mutations-Cause-a-Novel-Syndrome-Characterized-by-Ataxia-and-Mild-Mental-Retardation-with-pgen.1000487.s001.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=14|Quadrupedalism in an [[Iraqis|Iraqi]] family]] | [[File:CA8-Mutations-Cause-a-Novel-Syndrome-Characterized-by-Ataxia-and-Mild-Mental-Retardation-with-pgen.1000487.s001.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=14|Quadrupedalism in an [[Iraqis|Iraqi]] family]] | ||
In July 2005, in rural [[Turkey]], scientists discovered five [[Turkish people|Turkish]] siblings who habitually walked on both their hands and feet. Unlike [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzee]]s, which ambulate [[knuckle-walking|on their knuckles]], the [[Ulas family]] walked on their palms, allowing them to preserve the dexterity of their fingers.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0308_060308_all_fours.html |title=Family Walks on All Fours, May Offer Evolution Insight, Experts Say |magazine=National Geographic |date=8 March 2006 | In July 2005, in rural [[Turkey]], scientists discovered five [[Turkish people|Turkish]] siblings who habitually walked on both their hands and feet. Unlike [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzee]]s, which ambulate [[knuckle-walking|on their knuckles]], the [[Ulas family]] walked on their palms, allowing them to preserve the dexterity of their fingers.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0308_060308_all_fours.html |title=Family Walks on All Fours, May Offer Evolution Insight, Experts Say |magazine=National Geographic |date=8 March 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524173648/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0308_060308_all_fours.html |archive-date=24 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/17/family-walks-on-all-fours-explained_n_5595462.html |title=Science May Finally Explain Why This Family Walks On All Fours |website=[[HuffPost]] |date=17 July 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509060748/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/17/family-walks-on-all-fours-explained_n_5595462.html |archive-date=9 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Türkmen S, Demirhan O, Hoffmann K, etal |title=Cerebellar hypoplasia and quadrupedal locomotion in humans as a recessive trait mapping to chromosome 17p |journal=J. Med. Genet. |volume=43 |issue=5 |pages=461–4 |date=May 2006 |pmid=16371500 |pmc=2564522 |doi=10.1136/jmg.2005.040030 }}</ref> | ||
==Quadrupedal robots== | ==Quadrupedal robots== | ||
[[BigDog]] is a dynamically stable quadruped [[robot]] created in 2005 by [[Boston Dynamics]] with [[Foster-Miller]], the [[NASA]] [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]], and the [[Harvard University Concord Field Station]].<ref name="BD">{{cite web |url=http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_bigdog.html |title=BigDog - The Most Advanced Rough-Terrain Robot on Earth |publisher=Boston Dynamics |access-date=2011-04-06 | [[BigDog]] is a dynamically stable quadruped [[robot]] created in 2005 by [[Boston Dynamics]] with [[Foster-Miller]], the [[NASA]] [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]], and the [[Harvard University Concord Field Station]].<ref name="BD">{{cite web |url=http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_bigdog.html |title=BigDog - The Most Advanced Rough-Terrain Robot on Earth |publisher=Boston Dynamics |access-date=2011-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110423050703/http://bostondynamics.com/robot_bigdog.html |archive-date=2011-04-23 }}</ref> Its successor was Spot. | ||
Also by NASA JPL, in collaboration with [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] Robotics Lab, is RoboSimian, with emphasis on stability and deliberation. It has been demonstrated at the [[DARPA Robotics Challenge]].<ref name="RoboSimian">{{cite web |url=https://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/tasks/showTask.cfm?TaskID=236&tdaID=700043 |title=DARPA Robotics Challenge, RoboSimian (Track A) |publisher=JPL Robotics |access-date=2016-03-07 | Also by NASA JPL, in collaboration with [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] Robotics Lab, is RoboSimian, with emphasis on stability and deliberation. It has been demonstrated at the [[DARPA Robotics Challenge]].<ref name="RoboSimian">{{cite web |url=https://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/tasks/showTask.cfm?TaskID=236&tdaID=700043 |title=DARPA Robotics Challenge, RoboSimian (Track A) |publisher=JPL Robotics |access-date=2016-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307163342/https://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/tasks/showTask.cfm?TaskID=236&tdaID=700043 |archive-date=2016-03-07 }}</ref> | ||
== Pronograde posture == | == Pronograde posture == | ||
A related concept to quadrupedalism is pronogrady, or having a horizontal posture of the [[Torso|trunk]]. Although nearly all quadrupedal animals are pronograde, bipedal animals also have that posture, including many living birds and extinct dinosaurs.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Andrada|first1=Emanuel|last2=Rode|first2=Christian|last3=Sutedja|first3=Yefta|last4=Nyakatura|first4=John A.|last5=Blickhan|first5=Reinhard|date=2014-12-22|title=Trunk orientation causes asymmetries in leg function in small bird terrestrial locomotion|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=281|issue=1797| | A related concept to quadrupedalism is pronogrady, or having a horizontal posture of the [[Torso|trunk]]. Although nearly all quadrupedal animals are pronograde, bipedal animals also have that posture, including many living birds and extinct dinosaurs.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Andrada|first1=Emanuel|last2=Rode|first2=Christian|last3=Sutedja|first3=Yefta|last4=Nyakatura|first4=John A.|last5=Blickhan|first5=Reinhard|date=2014-12-22|title=Trunk orientation causes asymmetries in leg function in small bird terrestrial locomotion|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=281|issue=1797|article-number=20141405|doi=10.1098/rspb.2014.1405|pmc=4240980|pmid=25377449}}</ref> | ||
Nonhuman apes with [[orthograde]] (vertical) backs may walk quadrupedally in what is called [[knuckle-walking]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gebo |first1=Daniel L. |title=Primate Locomotion |journal=Nature Education Knowledge |date=2013 |volume=4 |issue=8 |page=1 |url=https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/primate-locomotion-105284696/ }}</ref> | Nonhuman apes with [[orthograde]] (vertical) backs may walk quadrupedally in what is called [[knuckle-walking]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gebo |first1=Daniel L. |title=Primate Locomotion |journal=Nature Education Knowledge |date=2013 |volume=4 |issue=8 |page=1 |url=https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/primate-locomotion-105284696/ }}</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* [ | * [https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4782492.stm Family may provide evolution clue] - [[BBC News]] | ||
{{locomotion}} | {{locomotion}} | ||
Latest revision as of 18:11, 4 October 2025
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Quadrupedalism is a form of locomotion in which 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"). Quadruped animals are found among both vertebrates and invertebrates.
Quadrupeds vs. tetrapods
Although the words 'quadruped' and 'tetrapod' are both derived from terms meaning 'four-footed', they have distinct meanings. A tetrapod is any member of the taxonomic unit Tetrapoda (which is defined by descent from a specific four-limbed ancestor), whereas a quadruped actually uses four limbs for locomotion. Not all tetrapods are quadrupeds and not all quadrupedal animals are tetrapods; some arthropods are adapted for four-footed locomotion, such as the raptorial Mantodea, or mantises, and the Nymphalidae, or brush-footed butterflies—the largest butterfly family, with ~6000 species, including the well-known monarch (see photo).
The distinction between quadrupeds and tetrapods is important in evolutionary biology, particularly in the context of tetrapods whose limbs have adapted to other roles (e.g., arms and hands in the case of humans, wings in the case of birds and bats, and fins in the case of whales). All of these animals are tetrapods, but not all are quadrupeds. Even snakes, whose limbs have become vestigial or lost entirely, are, nevertheless, tetrapods.
In infants and for exercise
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Quadrupedalism is sometimes referred to as being "on all fours", and is observed in crawling, especially by infants.[1]
In the 20th century quadrupedal movement was popularized as a form of physical exercise by Georges Hebert.[2] Kenichi Ito is a Japanese man famous for speed running on four limbs in competitions.[3]
Other human quadrupedalism
In July 2005, in rural Turkey, scientists discovered five Turkish siblings who habitually walked on both their hands and feet. Unlike chimpanzees, which ambulate on their knuckles, the Ulas family walked on their palms, allowing them to preserve the dexterity of their fingers.[4][5][6]
Quadrupedal robots
BigDog is a dynamically stable quadruped robot created in 2005 by Boston Dynamics with Foster-Miller, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Harvard University Concord Field Station.[7] Its successor was Spot.
Also by NASA JPL, in collaboration with University of California, Santa Barbara Robotics Lab, is RoboSimian, with emphasis on stability and deliberation. It has been demonstrated at the DARPA Robotics Challenge.[8]
Pronograde posture
A related concept to quadrupedalism is pronogrady, or having a horizontal posture of the trunk. Although nearly all quadrupedal animals are pronograde, bipedal animals also have that posture, including many living birds and extinct dinosaurs.[9]
Nonhuman apes with orthograde (vertical) backs may walk quadrupedally in what is called knuckle-walking.[10]
References
External links
- ↑ Mondschein, Emily R., Karen E. Adolph, and Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda. "Gender bias in mothers' expectations about infant crawling." Journal of experimental child psychology 77.4 (2000): 304–316.
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