The definition of the adjective ‘creeping ‘ has a direct relationship with the word ‘ras’, and when it is applied to animals it speaks of those that move along the ground, that is to say, on it. For instance: sea turtle, chameleon, earthworm.
Although some use the concept to even speak of birds that fly low or at ground level, the exact definition of crawling animals is that of animals that they are crawling. The definition also extends to the field of botany, since creeping plants are those that extend their stem along the ground.
Displacement of reptiles
Crawling animals are usually associated with the group of reptiles, whose locomotion is based on the dragging of bodies, a verb that precisely gives its name to the category of reptiles. Nevertheless not all reptiles are crawling, since many animals move without belonging to this group: in addition to crawling, reptiles must have the characteristic of having a scaly, dry, keratinized and thick skin.
Rather, reptiles are an internal group within crawlers, within which they in turn open different categories: An important part of reptiles has four muscular legs and a tail that helps balance, being these reptiles that do not crawl all the time but have the possibility, when they need to move at a higher speed, to rise on their legs and completely detach the belly from the ground.
Another type of reptile, among which the snake as a clearer example, it has no limbs and can only crawl. These animals must have strong agility and a great ability to adapt to the environment, to be able to resist with the sole ability to move that way.
Invertebrate crawling movement
The displacement of some invertebrates such as worms, it is based on the fact that a part of the body swells by running the body back and forth: this swelling is produced by a muscular sac that can expand or contract. This class of movements is called peristaltic, and it is common to all annelids.
A particular case is that of snails, which for a long time it was thought that due to the slime it has, it is capable of generating an optimal means of movement. On the contrary, more recent investigations affirm that the displacement of the snails is given by peristaltic muscle movements that occur in the body.
The snails advance without exerting force on concrete points, but rather distributing a relatively low force over a very large area. The adhesive substance, then, is what allows it to move more easily, but it is not the root of the ability to move that is given by its condition as an annelid.
Here is a list of crawling animals including reptiles and annelids.
Examples of crawling animals
| Terrestrial slugs | Blind shingles | Sea snails |
| Sea turtle | Nereis | Green basilisk |
| Piton | Gusarapa | Miñoca |
| Razor | Palolo | Alligator |
| Labaria | Snout viper | Snake |
| Oysters or oysters | Crocodile | Earthworm |
| Komodo dragon | Chameleon | Leatherback turtle |
| Leech | Sea slugs | Land snails |