Move along!
How do you get where you're going?
If you’re making your way along the sidewalk, you probably put one foot in front of the other and walk. In the water, your arms and legs help you swim. Or maybe you use a device like a wheelchair or skateboard to help you go from one place to the next. We all have our own way of moving along! In the animal world, there are many ways to get from here to there.
Tree travel
Primates, like some apes, use their arms to swing from tree branch to tree branch. This is called brachiation (brake-e-a-shun). If you’ve ever crossed the monkey bars at a playground, you have brachiated, too!
Well-grounded
What would help an animal burrow underground? Sharp claws and strong paws! Naked mole-rats can run both forward and backward through the maze of tunnels they dig.
Wing it
Making your way through the sky—by flying—is easier when you’re built like a bird, with hollow bones, feathers, and wings specially shaped for flight!
Flexible fossa
Animals like the fossa (FOO-sah) are “built” to climb: its semi-retractable claws and flexible ankles allow it to climb up and down trees headfirst.
