Quadrupedalism

The Quadrupedie (Latin quadrus four and pes foot ) is the four-legged kind of locomotion ( locomotion ) in terrestrial vertebrates. An assessment based on all four limbs locomotion is the plesiomorphic ( primary, original ) state for the land vertebrates ( Tetrapoda ), but was acquired in some groups also secondary again (eg ceratopside dinosaurs).

An evolutionary development of Quadrupedie is the bipedalism, which occurs for example in hominids, some extinct crocodile relatives, many dinosaurs and birds.

• Locomotion