Locomotion and
Movement
, LOCOMOTION
Locomotion, in ethology, any variety of movements among animals that results in progression from one place to another.
Principles
To locomote, all animals require both propulsive and control mechanisms. The diverse propulsive mechanisms of animals involve a contractile structure—muscle in most cases—to generate a propulsive force. The quantity, quality, and position of contractions are initiated and coordinated by the nervous system: thro
coordination, rhythmic movements of the appendages or body produce locomotion.
Animals successfully occupy a majority of the vast number of different physical environments (ecological niches) on Earth; in a discussion of locomotion, however, these environments can be divided into four types: aerial (including arboreal), aquatic, fossorial (underground), and terrestrial.