Editing Bipedalism (section)

==Advantages==
Limited and exclusive bipedalism can offer a species several advantages. Bipedalism raises the head; this allows a greater field of vision with improved detection of distant dangers or resources, access to deeper water for wading animals and allows the animals to reach higher food sources with their mouths. While upright, non-locomotory [[Limb (anatomy)|limb]]s become free for other uses, including manipulation (in primates and rodents), flight (in birds), digging (in the [[giant pangolin]]), combat (in bears, great [[ape]]s and the large [[monitor lizard]]) or camouflage.

The maximum bipedal speed appears slower than the maximum speed of quadrupedal movement with a flexible backbone – both the [[ostrich]] and the [[red kangaroo]] can reach speeds of {{convert|70|km/h|0|abbr=on}}, while the [[cheetah]] can exceed {{convert|100|km/h|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Garland_1983_JZL">{{Cite journal |last=Garland |first=T. Jr. |author-link=Theodore Garland Jr. |year=1983 |title=The relation between maximal running speed and body mass in terrestrial mammals |url=http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/Garland/Garl1983_JZL.pdf |journal=Journal of Zoology, London |volume=199 |issue=2 |pages=157–170 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1983.tb02087.x |access-date=2010-04-11 |archive-date=2018-08-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831160355/http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/Garland/Garl1983_JZL.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Sharp_1997">{{Cite journal |last=Sharp |first=N.C.C. |year=1997 |title=Timed running speed of a cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=241 |issue= 3|pages=493–494 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1997.tb04840.x |title-link=cheetah }}</ref> Even though bipedalism is slower at first, over long distances, it has allowed humans to outrun most other animals according to the [[Endurance running hypothesis#"No horse or dog could possibly…"|endurance running hypothesis]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bramble |first1=Dennis M. |last2=Lieberman |first2=Daniel E. |date=2004-11-18 |title=Endurance running and the evolution of Homo |journal=Nature |volume=432 |issue=7015 |pages=345–352 |doi=10.1038/nature03052 |issn=1476-4687 |pmid=15549097 |bibcode=2004Natur.432..345B |s2cid=2470602|url=http://doc.rero.ch/record/15289/files/PAL_E2588.pdf }}</ref> Bipedality in [[kangaroo rat]]s has been hypothesized to improve locomotor performance, {{Clarify|date=January 2012}} which could aid in escaping from predators.<ref name="Djawdan_1993">{{Cite journal |last=Djawdan |first=M|year=1993 |title=Locomotor performance of bipedal and quadrupedal heteromyid rodents |jstor=2389887 |journal=Functional Ecology |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=195–202 |doi=10.2307/2389887|bibcode=1993FuEco...7..195D}}</ref><ref name="Djawdan_and_Garland_1988">{{Cite journal |last1=Djawdan |first1=M. |author2=Garland, T. Jr. |author2-link=Theodore Garland Jr. |year=1988 |title=Maximal running speeds of bipedal and quadrupedal rodents |url=http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/Garland/DjawGa88.pdf |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=69 |issue=4 |pages=765–772 |doi=10.2307/1381631 |jstor=1381631 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616080116/http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/Garland/DjawGa88.pdf |archive-date=2010-06-16}}</ref>