How do mammals move? Make flipbooks to see six different mammals in action.
Explore mammals locomotion with these flipbooks. With more than 5,400 species, mammals move in all kinds of ways. They burrow, walk, hop, gallop, or swing from trees. They swim, dive, glide, or even fly!
THE RUNNER: Thomson’s Gazelle
• Top speed: 50 miles per hour (80 kph)
• Lives in dry grasslands of Kenya and Tanzania)
Thomson’s gazelles’ delicate but sturdy and strong legs help them run quickly for long periods of time. That’s a useful trait when you’re trying to escape lions and other predators! Sometimes, gazelles jump straight up into the air from a standstill. This is called stotting.
THE AMBLER: American Black Bear
• Top speed: More than 30 miles per hour (48 kph)
• Lives in forests of North America
Bears walk the same way humans do-on flat feet. Bears normally walk on all four paws. But because they have flat feet, they can stand on two legs with great stability. They can even walk upright, but only for short distances and very slowly.
THE HOPPER: Red Kangaroo
• Top speed: 37 miles per hour (60 kph)
• Lives throughout dry habitats of inland Australia
Kangaroos can hop for hours at a time. Their strong and elongated toes on the hind feet provide a springboard for hopping. To go faster, kangaroos simply lengthen their hops. These marsupials can travel as long as 45 feet (13.5 meters) in a single hop!
THE SWINGER: White-Handed Gibbon
• Top speed: 35 miles per hour (56 kph)
• Lives in forests in Southeast Asia
Gibbons spend their lives in trees-they barely ever touch the ground. These primates use their long arms to swing through trees. Their long, curved, and strong fingers act like hooks that hold the gibbon’s weight as it swings. They can swing across more than 30 feet (10 meters)!
