HOW DO REPTILES MOVE?

Walking

Although not all reptiles have legs, many of them do. Crocodiles and alligators, turtles, most lizards, and tuataras can walk on their four legs. Each leg ends in a foot with five or fewer claws. Usually they walk with their legs held out from the body, rather like a human would hold up his or her body when doing a push-up. Many of the smaller lizards, in particular, are very speedy, zipping across the ground at speeds that make their capture difficult. The exceptionally large lizards, known as Komodo dragons, usually walk very slowly, as do crocodiles, which often slide their bellies along the ground while walking. If necessary, however, both can run surprisingly fast. A few reptiles, such as the Nile crocodile and American crocodile, can even do a fast rabbitlike hop, called a gallop, to cover ground quickly. Some lizards can run on just their two hind legs, and the basilisk lizard is even able to run across the surface of a pond without sinking.

Slithering

Snakes slither, usually twisting and bending their bodies in an S-shaped pattern along the ground. This type of movement is called serpentine (SER-pen-teen) locomotion. Like the snakes, some lizards also have no legs. They move much the same way as snakes do. Occasionally, some lizards that have legs will slither instead of run. When they are in thick grass that makes running very difficult, some will lie down, hold the legs against the body, and begin to slither.

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Swimming

Many turtles, alligators, and crocodiles spend most of their lives in the water. Turtles often have wide feet that they use to push them through the water. A few, like the seaturtles, even have feet that are shaped like paddles. Alligators and crocodiles have very powerful and long tails that propel and steer their bodies through the water. Many snakes are also excellent swimmers, moving through lakes and streams with the same serpentine locomotion they use to slither on land.

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