Study Reveals Lizard Tucks Legs and Swims Through Sand
Thursday, July 16, 2009 - 13:42
in Biology & Nature
A study published in the July 17 issue of the journal Science details how sandfish -- small lizards with smooth scales -- move rapidly underground through desert sand. In this first thorough examination of subsurface sandfish locomotion, researchers found that the animals place their limbs against their sides and create a wave motion like snakes to propel themselves through granular media.