Wildlife
Scansorial describes animals that spend much of their life climbing such as squirrels, monkeys, geckos, mountain goats and tree frogs. Whether it's a tree, a cliff or a wall, what an animal climbs has a great influence on how evolution has equipped it for the all important task of not falling off. 'Suction pads' on geckos and the hook-like claws of the sloth are some of the many useful features for a climbing life.
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Climbing plants
In rainforests, plants must climb to reach sunshine.
In rainforests, plants must climb to reach sunshine.
Thereby hangs a tail
Spider monkeys use their tails and hooked hands to move through the trees.
When moving around in the trees, the more appendages you can grip with, the better. Many New World monkeys have prehensile tails. Spider monkeys are the most acrobatic. They use their tail like it's a fifth limb. It is strong enough to support their entire body weight, leaving their hands free to pick fruit. We think of hands and dexterity as very important to primates, but in fact when travelling fast though the trees all you really need is a hook to grab on with - a thumb only gets in the way. Spider monkeys' thumbs are very much reduced.
King of the swingers
Parallels between a gibbon's abilities and those of humans.
Parallels between a gibbon's abilities and those of humans.
Climbing lesson
A spectacled bear cub needs a bit of work on his climbing skills.
A spectacled bear cub needs a bit of work on his climbing skills.
Dare devils
Climbing tall trees offers protection to vulnerable black bear cubs.
Climbing tall trees offers protection to vulnerable black bear cubs.
Malayan colugo
Pangolins
Brown-throated sloth
Pygmy three-toed sloth
Three-toed sloths
American mink
Clouded leopard
Coatis
Fossa
Pine marten
Raccoon
Red panda
Snow leopard
South American coati
Spectacled bear
White-nosed coati
Bighorn sheep
Dall sheep
Markhor
Nubian ibex
Walia ibex
Black-footed rock-wallaby
Doria's Tree-Kangaroo
Koala
Matschie's tree-kangaroo
Yellow-bellied glider
Aye-aye
Bald uakari
Barbary macaque
Black-crested gibbon
Bornean orangutan
Chimpanzee
Common woolly monkey
Crowned lemur
Dwarf and mouse lemurs
Fork-marked lemurs
François' langur
Golden langur
Golden snub-nosed monkey
Grey mouse lemur
Madame Berthe's mouse lemur
Olive baboon
Pied tamarin
Red ruffed lemur
Siamang
Sifakas
Silky sifaka
Slow lorises
Sumatran orangutan
Tarsiers
Toque macaque
Tufted capuchin
Western gorilla
Western red colobus
Yunnan snub-nosed monkey
Bushy-tailed squirrels
California mouse
Dormice
Dormouse
Edible dormouse
Grey squirrel
Red squirrelOther Locomotion behaviours
Habitats where this adaptation is useful
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Frilled lizard
Labord's chameleon
Purple emperor butterfly