ABSTRACT
This chapter considers three areas: anatomical modifications that facilitate movement on the land; fundamental movement patterns generated on land and in water; and locomotor strategies that allow successful movement in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. It discusses the gaps in the current understanding of mudskipper locomotion and reflects on the broader aims to be drawn from studies of mudskipper anatomy and locomotor behaviors. In both aquatic and terrestrial environments, mudskippers are capable of multiple forms of locomotion that can be categorized into "sustained" and "burst" locomotor patterns. Sustained terrestrial locomotion of mudskippers is called "crutching" due to its superficial resemblance to a person walking on crutches. Mudskippers display kinematic patterns and morphology specially adapted for, and suited to, terrestrial locomotion. However, it is possible that functional trade-offs exist between aquatic and terrestrial locomotion such that these adaptations have occurred to the detriment of aquatic locomotion.
