Gait

Gait is the pattern of movement of the limbs of animals, including humans, during locomotion over a solid substrate.

While various gaits are given specific names, the complexity of biological systems and interacting with the environment make these distinctions "fuzzy" at best.

Gaits are typically classified according to footfall patterns, but recent studies often prefer definitions based on mechanics.

Gait choice can have effects beyond immediate changes in limb movement and speed, notably in terms of ventilation.

Thus, they cannot move and breathe at the same time, a situation called Carrier's constraint, though some, such as monitor lizards, can circumvent this restriction via buccal pumping.

In contrast, the spinal flexion of a galloping mammal causes the abdominal viscera to act as a piston, inflating and deflating the lungs as the animal's spine flexes and extends, increasing ventilation and allowing greater oxygen exchange.

[3] Diagonal sequence walks and runs (aka trots) are most frequently used by sprawling tetrapods such as salamanders and lizards, due to the lateral oscillations of their bodies during movement.

Flies do not show distinct transitions between gaits but are more likely to walk in a tripod configuration at higher speeds.

[5] While gaits can be classified by footfall, new work involving whole-body kinematics and force-plate records has given rise to an alternative classification scheme, based on the mechanics of the movement.

Unrestrained animals will typically move at the optimum speed for their gait to minimize energy cost.

The term "gait" has even been applied to flying and swimming organisms that produce distinct patterns of wake vortices.