Humans are unique among animals because we walk upright. We use our hands, arms, shoulders and hips to move forward and backward. But why did we develop bipedalism? What purpose does it serve? Why don’t other species walk on four limbs? And what about those other creatures that walk on two legs? Is there anything special about us?

The answer is: yes! Walking on two legs is a very efficient way of moving through the world. It’s also an important part of human culture. In fact, without humans, there would be no culture at all.

No One Invented Walking

Walking isn’t something you invent. You don’t make it up. It just happens. And while scientists know how it works, they still haven’t figured out exactly why people do it. But there’s no question that walking is one of humanity’s most essential skills.

The ability to move yourself across land, water, air, and even space is what makes us human. We use it to hunt, find food, avoid predators, and travel. When we do it, it feels like magic. There’s nothing else quite like it.

But despite our fascination with walking, it doesn’t actually seem to have been invented. Sure, some early humans probably used their feet to help climb trees. But nobody really knows what happened next.

Humans didn’t start walking until about 2.5 million years ago. Before that, many species moved themselves over short distances by hopping or crawling. But once people started walking, they took to the ground like never before.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

The First Vertebrates to Walk on Land Evolved From Fish

Invertebrates walked (and crawled) on land for about 500 million years before vertebrates — animals with backbone — began walking upright around 550 million years ago. Now, researchers have found evidence that suggests that the earliest vertebrates lived on land long before the evolution of mammals.

Scientists think that the first land vertebrates evolved from a class of fishes known as sarcopterygians, which includes sharks and rays. These creatures had fins, gills, scales and teeth, but no bones. They are thought to have existed during the Cambrian period, which lasted from 542 to 485 million years ago.

One of the most famous fossils of the era is Coelacanth, a species of fish that lives today off the coast of South Africa. The fossilized skeleton of a creature named Ichthyostega was discovered in Germany in 1835. This animal looked somewhat similar to modern-day lungfish, but it had a head, neck, body, limbs and tail. It was a very early form of tetrapod, meaning four legs.

While some scientists believe that these creatures could have been amphibious, others say that they are too different to belong to either amphibia or sarcopterygians. Instead, they suggest that Ichthyostega was a transitional form between both groups.

Reptiles Were the First to Walk on Two Legs

When it comes to two-legged reptiles, most people think of dinosaurs. After all, velociraptors and T-rex are ingrained in pop culture. Yet bipedalism actually evolved before dinosaurs existed.

Scientists consider the Eudibamus to be an important figure in the evolution of bipedalism due to its anatomy. There is some dispute over whether it was fully bipedal, but its anatomy indicates it was.

There were many bipedal dinosaurs in both the main dinosaur types (Saurischia and Ornithischia), and T-rex and velociraptors were both from Saurischia. Even though most dinosaur groups died out 66 million years ago, one group of saurischians survived until the present day. Indeed, dinosaurs didn’t fully go extinct when that asteroid hit.

Birds Became Dominant Bipeds

Theropod dinosaurs were the dominant land animals during most of the Mesozoic Era. They had large heads, long necks, powerful hind limbs, and four legs. This allowed them to move quickly over the ground. Their bodies were covered in thick skin, allowing them to withstand extreme temperatures.

Many theropods had claws on their front feet and sharp teeth on their jaws. Some could fly, while others walked around on all fours. Birds descended from one particular group of theropods. These bipedal creatures had feathers covering their bodies, and some members of this group developed wings.

Before Primates, There Were Others

Today, people largely think of monkeys, apes, and humans as the three major mammalian groups that spend most of their lives walking upright. But there are actually many other mammals that do exactly what we do—walk on two legs. And some of those animals aren’t even primates. In fact, some of them aren’t even mammals.

For example, kangarooes are marsupial mammals, meaning they give birth to live young rather than laying eggs like reptiles and birds. Kangaroos are also considered to be true hoofed quadrupeds because of their four toes on each foot. They hop along on two legs, but one set of legs is used primarily for jumping while the other two are used for balance.

Other examples include the American pika (a rabbit relative), the bandicoot rat, the mouse opossum, the raccoon dog, the guinea pig, the porcupine, the hedgehog, and the shrew.

In addition, many rodents are bipedal. These include the squirrel, the chipmunk, the gerbil, the hamster, the prairie vole, the jerboa, the capybara, the mongoose, the mole rat, the cavy, the chinchilla, the marmot, the muskrat, the nutria, the beaver, the otter, the ermine, the ferret, the mink, the dormouse, the meadow vole, the voles, the water vole, the woodchuck, the beaver, and the cane rat.

In addition, there are many insectivorous species that walk on two legs. These include the praying mantis, the dragonfly, the butterfly, the bee, the ant, the termite, the cockroach, the grasshopper, the cricket, the locust, the beetle, the moth, the spider, the scorpion, the centipede, the millipede, the earwig, the leafcutter ant, the honeybee, the bumblebee, the wasp, the hornet, the fire ant, the assassin bug, the tarantula, the centipede and the giant anteater.

And finally, there are many aquatic species that walk on two feet. These include the dolphin, the seal, the walrus, the sea lion, the manatee, the whale, the turtle, the crocodile, the shark, the eel, the stingray, the sturgeon, the codfish, the tuna fish, the salmon, the herring, the flounder, the halibut, the mackerel, the sardine, the anchovy, the squid, the octopus, the frog, the salamander, the newt, the lizard, the snake, the tortoise, the turtle, the lancelet, the jellyfish, the starfish, the coral, the sea anemone, the sponge, the oyster, the clam, the crab, the shrimp, the lobster, the crayfish, the barnacle, the limpet, the sea cucumber, the sea urchin, the sea snail, the sea slug, the sea horse, the sea lamprey, the sea hare, the sea nettle, the sea anemones, the sea cucumbers, the sea stars, the sea robins, the sea turtles, the sea snakes, the sea dragons, the sea horses, the sea cows, the sea pigs, the sea lions, the sea otters, the sea gulls, the seahorses, the sharks, the rays, the skates, the skate, the flying fish, the swordfish, the tuna, the barracuda, the bonito, the bluefin tuna, the grouper, the mackerel and the flatfish.

But Primates Are The Ones Known For Walking

The popular image of apes being able to walk upright on two feet is false. This is because we think of humans as the only species that walks on two legs. But there are actually several different groups of animals that do it.

In fact, most primates aren’t really bipedal. They’re just able to walk on two legs sometimes. Gorillas and chimps are examples of this. So what about humans? Well, we’re not the only ones either. There are some other hominids out there that are bipedal.

Homo erectus and Homo habilis are both bipedal. Both of those groups lived approximately 2 million years ago. We know this because of fossils found in Africa. These early hominids had long arms and short legs. However, they weren’t exactly walking on two legs. Their bodies were held up by their elbows and knees.

So why did they evolve into bipedalism? At least part of the reason was probably to help them hunt better. Bipedalism allows you to run faster and jump farther. It also makes you less vulnerable while hunting.

So Who Invented Walking?

Luca is a character in the 2006 animated film Ratatouille. He’s a rat chef who wants to become famous. When he meets Remy, a mouse artist, he learns about his profession and decides to follow him into the kitchen. While searching for a job, he ends up working for Linguini, a human cook. One day, while discussing food, Linguini asks Luca what he thinks about when he eats. To prove himself, Luca tries to eat a glass of water. After doing so, he realizes how much work goes into making food. This inspires him to try cooking. Later, he becomes obsessed with learning everything he can about cooking. So, he starts asking questions like “Who invented walking?” and “What did people do before they had electricity?”

The truth is that there are many theories about who actually invented walking, including some that suggest it was done by Neanderthals. But none of those ideas have been proven.

In fact, scientists believe that our ancestors began developing the ability to walk long before they walked out of the sea. They say that fish developed legs first because they could swim better than land creatures. Then, once land creatures emerged, they began evolving legs to help them move around. Some experts think that primates developed the ability to walk independently of each other as early as 3 million years ago. Others think that humans started walking independently 2.5 million years ago.

While there isn’t one person who can claim to have invented walking, there are several people who helped pave the way towards the invention of walking. For example, Charles Darwin believed that apes evolved into humans. And, according to Darwin, the development of bipedalism happened when man began standing upright.