Millipede Walk | narrated
Living Beings
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10m
Millipedes have the most legs of any animal. The distinctive traveling wave in its walk is a kind of auto-pilot. Using innovative slow-motion macro video, we observe the traveling wave motion of the legs move from the back to the front of the animal's long body. The workings of the walk involve a specific network of neurons called central pattern generators (CPGs) that produce a sequence of automatic muscle movements. This rhythm repeating over time is called a metachronal rhythm. Most arthropods walk this way, but the millipede's plenitude of legs makes the pattern clearly visible. Produced by Wonder Science in collaboration with Radiant Images and IDT Vision. Music by Johnny Woods.
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