“Not a step back!”, or why birds can’t walk backwards? (5 photos)

Pigeons walk, sparrows jump, ostriches run. But for some reason they do this only in the forward direction, as if someone had put a needle behind them and was not allowing them to back away. What makes them move only towards a bright (or not so bright) future, without taking a single step back?





The order “not a step back” was carried out with honors! I demand a medal!

To begin with, you should understand that there are no reverse sensors on the bird's butt, so they stupidly cannot see where they are backing away. Even if the bird’s eyes have a 360-degree view, the rear part of the view is still obscured by its own body.



Chickens are one of the few birds that can step backwards (albeit just a little).

The structure of your legs also makes it difficult to step back effectively. The limbs of birds work like springs; they push the body forward and upward. The push of one leg gives the body enough momentum so that in those fractions of a second while the carcass moves forward, the second leg has time to get into the right place.





When moving backwards, the pushing force is insufficient, and the second leg may not have time to get into a suitable position. Therefore, the bird can fall out of the blue. In addition, there is a risk of sticking your tail into the ground and damaging the tail unit, which will certainly affect the quality of the flight.



But the forward gait of birds is truly flying.

By the way, it’s not just birds that are moving forward. Kangaroos, snakes, lizards, some insects - this is not a complete list of those who do not or cannot walk backwards. The reasons are the same: the sensory organs that allow one to sense the path are located only on the front part of the body, and the organs of movement are not adapted for walking or crawling tail-first.



Yes, we can't walk backwards. But can you also walk brutally in front?

However, even those who know how to step back do not like to use this opportunity. Remember how long ago you moved forward along the street with your fifth point? That's it!