Leg

Leg
Diagram of an insect leg

A leg is a weight bearing and locomotive structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts"[1] - the combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element capable of changing length and rotating about an omnidirectional "hip" joint.

As an anatomical animal structure it is used for locomotion. The distal end is often modified to distribute force (such as a foot). Most animals have an even number of legs.

As a component of furniture it is used for the economy of materials needed to provide the support for the useful surface, the table top or chair seat.

Contents

Terminology

Many taxa are characterized by number of legs:

  • Tetrapod
  • Arthropoda: 4, 6 (Insecta), 8, 12, or 14
    • Some arthropods have more than a dozen legs; a few species possess over 100. Despite what their names might suggest,
      • Centipedes may have less than 20 or more than 300 legs.
      • Millipedes have fewer than 1,000 legs, but up to 750.

Tetrapod legs

In tetrapod anatomy, leg is used to refer to the entire limb. In human medicine its precise definition refers[2][3][4] only to the segment between the knee and the ankle. This segment is also called the shank,[5][6] and the front (anterior) of the segment is called the shin or pretibia.

In bipedal tetrapods, the two lower limbs are referred to as the "legs" and the two upper limbs as "arms" or "wings" as the case may be.

Arthropod leg

Robotic leg

  • Robotic leg

See also

Notes

  1. ^ http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/88
  2. ^ "Leg". Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). National Library of Medicine. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2007/MB_cgi?mode=&term=Leg&field=entry. Retrieved 2009-04-18. 
  3. ^ "leg". Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Healthcare Consumers. Leg. http://www.mercksource.com/pp/us/cns/cns_hl_dorlands_split.jsp?pg=/ppdocs/us/common/dorlands/dorland/five/000058188.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-18. 
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Dictionary leg
  5. ^ Kardong, Kenneth V. (2009). Vertebrates: Comparative anatomy, function, evolution (5th. ed.). McGraw-Hill. p. 340. ISBN 978-0-07-304058-5. 
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Dictionary shank