B. Life Systems · Growth and Changes in Animals

How Animals Move

B2.2 A1.2 A1.5About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe different ways animals move: walking, running, hopping, flying, gliding, swimming, slithering, crawling, burrowing and climbing.
I can tell which body parts help an animal move the way it does.
I can do a fair test about moving and record my results.

Words to know

locomotion
The way an animal moves from one place to another.

slither
To move by sliding along the ground, the way a snake moves.

glide
To float through the air without flapping, like a paper airplane.

burrow
To dig a hole or tunnel in the ground. The tunnel is also called a burrow.

webbed feet
Feet with skin between the toes, which push water like a paddle.

fair test
A test where you change only one thing, so you know what made the difference.

Animal moves!

Stand up. Can you hop like a frog? Waddle like a goose? Slither like a snake on your tummy? Flap like a chickadee?

Animals move in many different ways. Scientists call the way an animal moves from place to place its locomotion (say: loh-koh-MOH-shun).

A white beluga whale swimming underwater, with its flippers and tail visible. — A beluga whale swims by moving its strong tail up and down. It uses its flippers to steer. AI-generated image

Way of moving	Body parts that help	Canadian animals
🚶 walk and 🏃 run	legs and feet (hooves, paws)	moose, red fox, people
🐸 hop and jump	long, strong back legs	wood frog, snowshoe hare, grasshopper
🕊️ fly	wings (feathers for birds, skin for bats)	Canada goose, chickadee, little brown bat, monarch
🪂 glide	a flap of furry skin between the front and back legs	northern flying squirrel
🐟 swim	fins and a tail, flippers, or webbed feet	brook trout, beluga, beaver, loon
🐍 slither	strong muscles and belly scales that grip the ground	garter snake
🐛 crawl	many short legs, or muscles that squeeze and stretch	caterpillar, earthworm, ant
⛏️ burrow (dig)	strong claws and paws	groundhog, chipmunk
🌲 climb	sharp claws or grippy feet	red squirrel, black bear, raccoon

Ways animals move, and the body parts that help them

Body parts match the move

An animal's body is built for the way it moves.

A loon has its legs far back on its body. This makes it a strong swimmer and diver, but it is clumsy when it walks on land.
A snowshoe hare has huge, furry back feet. They work like snowshoes so it can run on top of deep snow!
A garter snake has no legs. It pushes against the ground with its muscles and belly scales.
An earthworm squeezes and stretches its body. Tiny bristles on its body grip the soil.
A fish swishes its tail from side to side. A beluga whale moves its tail up and down.

Same push, different feet. A small foot sinks into deep snow. A snowshoe hare's big, wide back feet spread its weight out, so it can run on top.

Not every flyer is a bird

Insects like monarchs fly. Bats are mammals, and they are the only mammals that can truly fly. A northern flying squirrel does not really fly. It glides from tree to tree, like a paper airplane.

Many animals move in more than one way

A Canada goose walks on grass, swims on ponds and flies south. A beaver walks on land and swims with its webbed back feet. A black bear walks, runs, climbs trees and swims! How many ways can you move?

Worked example

Let's explain how a frog moves

How does a wood frog's body help it move on land and in water?

Look at the back legs. They are long and strong. They fold up like a spring and push the frog forward. That is how it hops.
Look at the back feet. They have skin between the toes (webbed feet). They push water like paddles, so the frog can swim.
Look at the front legs. They are short. They help the frog land after a hop.
Put it together: each body part has a job in moving.

A frog hops on land and swims in water using its long, strong back legs and webbed back feet.

Worked example

Let's plan a fair test about jumping

Question: Can you jump farther with a running start, like a deer running and leaping?

Change only one thing: Jump A = stand still, then jump. Jump B = take 3 running steps, then jump.
Keep everything else the same: same person, same shoes, same floor or grass, same starting line.
Predict: I think the running jump will go farther.
Measure each jump from the starting line to your back heel, in centimetres. Do 3 tries of each kind.
Record the results in a table and compare.

Most people jump farther with a running start. Our test is fair because the only thing we changed was the running start.

A fair test changes only one thing: Jump A starts standing still, Jump B gets 3 running steps. Both are measured the same way, from the start line to the back heel.

Hands-on activity

Animal jump test

You need: masking tape or a stick for a starting line, a measuring tape, paper, a pencil, and a grown-up. Do this on grass or a soft carpet, away from furniture.

Do a frog jump: crouch down, then spring forward with both feet. Mark where your back heel lands. Measure it.
Do a standing jump like a person. Measure it.
Do each jump 3 times. Record your results in a table with a row for each kind of jump and columns for Try 1, Try 2 and Try 3.
Which jump went farthest? Why do you think so?
Share: Tell your family what you found and what body parts you used.

What to look for: measuring from the same starting line every time, and a sentence like "My standing jump was longest because I used my arms to swing."

Imagine this

What if you moved like a garter snake for a day? You would slither to school on your tummy, and your backpack would keep sliding off. Good thing you have legs!

Your turn

What does locomotion mean?

How does a garter snake move?

What body parts help a fish swim?

Does a northern flying squirrel really fly? Explain.

Name 3 ways a Canada goose can move.

Why are a snowshoe hare's big back feet helpful in winter?

Name an animal that burrows.

More practice: warm-up

How does a bird move through the air?

What do frogs use to hop?

Name an animal that swims.

Which animal climbs trees: a red squirrel or a trout?

How does a caterpillar move?

More practice: on your own

Why is a loon clumsy on land but great in water?

A beaver has webbed back feet. How does that help it?

Name 2 animals that fly but are not birds.

How does an earthworm move without legs?

Ava jumped 80 cm, 85 cm and 90 cm. Her longest jump was how much longer than her shortest jump?

Challenge

Ben tests whether a running start helps. He does his standing jump on grass in boots and his running jump on the gym floor in running shoes. Is his test fair? How could he fix it?

A black bear can walk, run, climb and swim. Choose 2 of those and tell which body parts help.

Invent an animal that can both burrow and swim. Describe 2 body parts it would need.

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is locomotion?

How does a garter snake move?

Which animal glides instead of truly flying?

Which body parts help a frog hop?

Which animal can walk, swim and fly?

To make a jumping test fair, you should...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Animals move (locomotion) in many ways, and their body parts suit the way they move (B2.2). Many animals use more than one kind of movement.

Fair testing (A1.2): The jump test teaches "change one thing, keep the rest the same" and measuring in centimetres. Doing 3 tries is a good habit; you can point out that results vary a little each time.

Accuracy notes: Flying squirrels glide, they do not fly. Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. Fish move their tails side to side; whales (like belugas) move theirs up and down.

Common difficulties:

Naming only one way an animal moves. Ask, "What else can it do?"
Naming the movement but not the body part. Always ask, "What part of its body helps?"
Measuring from different spots. Mark one clear starting line.

How to help: Play "animal charades" with movements. Watch squirrels, birds and insects outside and describe how they move.