There are many movements in our bodies – blinking the eyes, breathing – even when we stay in one place. Animals also move from place to place in different ways: a cow walks with its legs, a snake slithers or crawls with its whole body, a bird flies with its wings and a fish swims with its fins. This chapter explains movement and locomotion, movement in different animals, the types of movements, joints, the human skeleton and muscles.
1. Movement and Locomotion
Movement is defined as the act of changing the place or position by one or more parts of the body. It helps to perform necessary functions such as pumping of blood to different parts of the body. Movement can be voluntary or involuntary – walking is a voluntary movement, while breathing is an involuntary movement.
The movement of an organism from one place to another is known as locomotion. It helps an organism to find food, avoid harsh weather conditions and escape from its predator. Walking, running and swimming are examples. Locomotion involves the action of appendages such as limbs, wings, flagella and cilia. In most aquatic animals such as fish, whales and shark, locomotion results from a series of wave-like muscle contractions.