Three-Legged Body Plan: War Of The Worlds Inspiration

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The discussion centers on the plausibility of a three-legged body plan for creatures, inspired by the aliens in "War of the Worlds." Participants debate the prevalence of odd versus even numbers of limbs in Earth's organisms, noting that most animals exhibit bilateral symmetry with an even number of limbs. Stephen J. Gould's theories on evolutionary history are referenced, suggesting that the survival of certain body plans is largely due to chance. The conversation also touches on the potential advantages and disadvantages of having three legs, with examples of animals that utilize additional limbs, like tails, for balance and functionality. Ultimately, the consensus leans toward the idea that while three-legged creatures could theoretically exist, they would likely face significant challenges compared to their even-limbed counterparts.
  • #31
Yeah, what advantages could these extra legs offer?
 
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  • #32
Even today, there are many animals with radial symmetry, as opposed to bilateral, two-sided symmetry. The echinoderms are an example- they're the phylum closest to Chordata, our own. They include starfishes, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, and sea lilies. They can have five, six, seven or more "arms."
 
  • #33
IMHO, the elephant's trunk and monkey's tail et al, while technically fulfilling the role of an odd/extra limb, is a separate discussion.

I submit to the discussion that this topic's value would be increased if we agreed to narrow the scope of examination to odd number of limbs used for locomotion, and possibly even more specifically to gait.

I think that was the intended scope, but that's just MHO.


P.S. Sci-fi readers interested in tripedal locomotion might want to pick up A.C.Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama.
 

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