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What is Locomotion?

While the terms locomotion and movement seem synonymous, the two concepts


are different. The locomotion definition is when an entity is displaced and its
geographical location is changed. In contrast, the definition of movement is
when an entity is displaced and changes its position in space.
All members of the animal kingdom carry out the behavior of locomotion through
some mode of movement. The behavior of locomotion typically serves one of three
purposes including finding essential nutrients, seeking a mate, or avoiding a threat
such as predation. Locomotion is typically carried out in multicellular animals via
limbs (and/or a musculoskeletal system) while unicellular organisms have organelles
that aid in their mobility. The three main types of locomotion are flight, swimming,
and land locomotion.

A. Flight

Flight is a type of locomotion which occurs actively in atmospheric air.


Typically, organisms which are capable of flight fly by flapping their wings.
Vertebrate such as birds and bats and invertebrates such as butterflies and
bees fly using their wings. Birds have pneumatized, or hollow, bones which
aid in their ability to fly by keeping their bodies lightweight. Birds also have
fusiform, or spindle-shaped bodies, and specially shaped wings which also
play a role in their ability to fly and stay in flight in the air. The flying squirrel,
contrary to its name, does not actually fly. Like the sugar gliders, these
animals actually move across tree tops or descend from trees towards the
ground by jumping and are able to utilize the mode of movement known
as gliding.

B. Swimming

Swimming is a type of locomotion and a common mode of movement


observed in many vertebrates, invertebrates, and unicellular organisms that
live in, or spend much of their time in aquatic environments. Animals such
as fish propel themselves through water by moving their tails side to side.
Certain mollusks, such as the nautilus, syphon water into and out of their
bodies which aids in their locomotion and
navigating the marine environment.
Unicellular organisms may have specialized organelles which aid in their
motility. For example, members of the Eugena genus have a flagellum,
which is a small, whip-like structure which propels their small bodies
forward. Some unicellular organisms, such as members of genus
Paramecium have cilia, small hair-like projections which they use to swim
through water. Another organelle utilized for locomotion in unicellular
organisms would be the pseudopodia, or "false-foot". Pseudopodia are
observed in the Amoeba genus of unicellular eukaryotes.

C. Land

Land locomotion is a type of locomotion that uses many modes of


movement and is observed in organisms, such as land animals, insects,
birds, and reptiles, which include:
Some animals utilize rolling, or rating, as a mode of movement to obtain
locomotion where the animal moves similarly to a wheel. Animals such as
pangolins, armadillos, and wheel spiders will actually assume the posture
of rolling into a ball and then roll away from a threat in order to escape
possible predation. Some higher-order vertebrates, such as wallabies and
kangaroos utilize hopping as their mode of movement and way of
locomotion. These animals are able to hop, or jump, multiple feet in the
air due to incredibly strong leg muscles. 
Crawling and slithering are modes of movement to achieve locomotion
and are observed in many limbless animals. The difference between
crawling and slithering is that crawling entails moving the body directly
forward while slithering employs the entire body moving in a side to side
motion. Most species of snakes are observed to slither like the common
garter snake. An example of an organism that uses crawling as its primary
form of locomotion is a human infant. Lastly, fossorial locomotion is a
form of burrowing often observed in limbless amphibians like caecilians
as well as in burrowing mammals such as moles.
Acitivity 1
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Part 3
Match these following answers
hind legs Gills Flippers Hindlimbs
Six legs nostrils Two legs Spiracles
Forelimbs Carbon
dioxide

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