leg strength

Terrestrial animals display a wide range of limb structures - from 'spread', in which the limbs are held alongside the body, as in lizards, to 'upright', in which the limbs are held below the body and close to the midline of the animal, as in dogs, cats and horses . An upright body structure is a characteristic of most modern mammals, but when did this key feature evolve?  Credit: Peter Bishop

How mammals achieved their upright posture 

A new study reveals the twists and turns and complexities in the evolution of mammals, from a spread body structure (legs tending to the sides like in reptiles) to an upright body structure where the feet are stable on the ground