Why do most creatures have an odd number of limbs?

[Gold Barz]

Yeah, what advantages could these extra legs offer?

 

[nipwoni]

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."

 

[DaveC426913]

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.