ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the key advancements in researchers understanding of lizard locomotion during ecologically relevant behaviors. It examines convergence, which is prominent among lizards and provides insights into behavioral adaptation in response to particular environmental challenges, and opens a variety of interesting avenues for future research. The chapter provides an in-depth assessment of how lizard behavior, especially escaping from predators and foraging, relies on locomotor movements and performance. Lizard locomotion can be characterized in a number of ways, from the ability to perform a specific task critical for survival to the morphological signature of a specific mode of locomotion. A key feature of lizard locomotion employing a sprawling posture is the significant contribution of girdle rotation to forward movement. Lizards can be generally categorized as exhibiting widely foraging or a sit-and-wait foraging strategy. Many lizards perform escape behaviors and forage in trees, and arboreal habitats present a wide variety of perch diameters, inclines, and surface textures on which to move.
