Mechanism of bipedalism in running lizards

Research assistant - University of Queensland, Australia

Advisor:

Dr. Christopher J. Clemente

About:

Bipedal locomotion is widespread among various taxa. Recent modelling studies suggest bipedalism in lizards may be a consequence of a caudal shift in the body centre of mass (BCOM), combined with quick bursts of acceleration, together which cause a torque moment at the hip lifting up the front of the body. Some lizards appear to run bipedally earlier and for longer than might be expected from this simple model and it has been suggested that these lizards have exploited the consequence of bipedal locomotion. I assisted a post-doc researcher to investigate the kinematic mechanisms behind bipedal locomotion in agamid lizards.