Content
- Classification of animals according to type of locomotion
- How land animals move
- How aquatic animals move
- How aerial animals move
When interacting with the environment, animals tend to adapt so much their physiology and behavior in order to make the best use of it and adapt as efficiently as possible to the environment in which it lives. In this context, the animals' type of locomotion is vital to ensure better adaptation and a better chance of survival.
If you want to know in detail what types of locomotion we can distinguish within the incredible animal kingdom, continue reading this article by PeritoAnimal in which we will respond in detail to how animals move. Good reading.
Classification of animals according to type of locomotion
The locomotion of animals is directly related and conditioned by the environment in which they live. So it's really surprising to see how the anatomical and movement characteristics of every animal species on the planet have been influenced by biological evolution that allows species to adapt as best as possible to their habitats.
Thus, when classifying animals according to types of locomotion, it is useful to group these locomotion according to the type of habitat in which they live. Therefore, we can classify them as follows:
- Land animals
- Aquatic animals
- Air or flying animals
In the following sections, we will see what characteristics these groups of animals have according to the way they move and what species examples we can find in each of them.
In this other article, you'll get to know the animals that live longer.
How land animals move
As we can imagine, terrestrial animals inhabit regions of the planet's continent where they coexist with all kinds of terrestrial plants. In these places, they had to adapt their movements to better move among such plants.
Thus, among the main types of locomotion of land animals that we can distinguish, we find:
- Animals that move around crawling: Without limbs, these animals move crawling with their whole body. The most characteristic group of animals in this type of locomotion is, without a doubt, reptiles.
- Animals that move around on foot: the vast majority of terrestrial animals move on foot, mainly on their four limbs, commonly called legs. Other animals, such as primates, a group to which we humans belong, locomotion is performed with the lower extremities, while the upper ones intervene only a few times.
- Animals that climb to get around: For climbing, these animals have prehensile hands and feet, as well as sucker-shaped structures and even long tails that they can curl to move around the branches of trees in their habitat. Mammals such as primates and rodents, as well as reptiles and amphibians, are animals capable of getting around by climbing.
- Animals that jump when moving: the curious movement through jumps can only be performed by animals that have strong and agile lower limbs, necessary for the impulse to jump. In this group, amphibians stand out and, among mammals, kangaroos, which also have a large tail that allows them to maintain their balance during the jump. Find out how far a kangaroo can jump in this other article.
How aquatic animals move
The movement that allows the locomotion of aquatic animals is swimming. Understanding how fish move around using their fins to propel themselves and their tails as rudders that control the lateral movement of locomotion allows this type of locomotion to be also attributed to other groups of swimming animals.
For example, mammals of the cetacean family, as well as beavers, platypus and otters, spend most of their lives in aquatic environments, moving with the help of their tail and extremity membranes for more efficient swimming. But also amphibians, reptiles and even birdsare able to swim. Just observe the skill with which penguins, seagulls and ducks swim when obtaining their food in aquatic environments.
How aerial animals move
When we think of flying or aerial animals, birds come directly to mind, but what other animals are capable of moving through the air? The truth is that this happens with a wide variety of insects and even some mammals like bats.
Depending on the group of animals to which they belong, the aerial animals they have a different anatomical structure adapted to flight. In the case of birds, they have the front limbs with feathers adapted to flight, as well as an aerodynamic and light anatomy of the rest of the body that allows them to remain suspended in the air and even hunt at high speed when descending from higher heights.
In addition, their tails, also with feathers, work as a rudder to facilitate lateral movements. On the other hand, the upper extremities of flying mammals (belonging to the group of Chiroptera), have membranes and bones that give them the wing appearance, designed to fly around when hit quickly.
Now that you already know how animals move and the different types of animal locomotion, you might be interested in this other article by PeritoAnimal about flightless birds - characteristics and curiosities.
If you want to read more articles similar to How do animals move around?, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.