FALSE! This is an excellent example of a “just-so story.” Most Carnivorans are capable of a direct r

FALSE! This is an excellent example of a “just-so story.” Most Carnivorans are capable of a direct register walk (especially Canids and Felids) and it almost entirely depends on the speed at which the animal desires to locomote. Very slow walks are “understep” where the hind-foot falls behind the print left by the fore-foot. The faster the animal moves, the farther forward the hind-foot print falls in relation to the fore-foot print. Above a certain speed (still a walk) the hind-foot begins to fall in front of the print left by the fore-foot (an “overstep” walk).There are, however, some unique circumstances when an animal will force a direct-register walk. Those are usually related to the susbtrate. In deep snow, mud, or sand, some animals force a direct register walk presumably to minimize effort in traversing these energetically expensive terrains (though this hasn’t been tested). There is also anecdotal evidence that Felids will force a direct register walk while stalking prey, presumably to minimize the potential noise created by their footfalls (this too has never been tested). -- source link

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