Saturday 11 January 2020

anatomy - Terrestrial Vertebrate Limbs


This question is regarding the conversation that took place here: Why don't mammals have more than 4 limbs?. I'm not sure if someone mentioned this and I just missed it, but everyone is talking about two pairs of limbs for all terrestrial vertebrates; what about the case of kangaroos? If we are analyzing this from a locomotion point of view, and tails are being considered limbs, then wouldn't the kangaroo be considered to have five? They use their tail for balance and to push forward in "walking" (not exactly a walk, but I am lacking the proper term at the moment), resting only on the tail and forelimbs as the hind limbs swing forward. Does anyone have thoughts on this?





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