Cockroach locomotion study

This image is part of the feature Polypedal Lab

Credit: VOLKER STEGER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Caption: Cockroach locomotion study. Cockroach (Blaberus discoidalis) attached by a wax candle, runs over a rotating polystyrene ball, known as a kugel. A high speed camera tracks the leg movements for locomotion analysis. Cockroaches are the fastest land insects, able to run at 50 body lengths per second. Like other multi-legged animals, cockroach legs move together in groups (two legs from one side, one leg on the other). Each group forms a spring-loaded tripod. When one tripod touches the ground, the other alternates by lifting off the ground, producing a gait similar to bipedal animals. Photographed at the PolyPEDAL Lab, University of California, Berkeley, USA.

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