Examples of animals that walk on two legs include lizards, bears, kangaroos, birds, and wallabies.
Many animals walk on two legs, but not all of them. There are many different types of animals that walk on two legs because it is easier for them to get around.
It is a known fact that most animals walk on four legs. But there are some exceptions to the rule. There are some animals that have evolved from walking on all fours to walking on two legs instead.
Examples of Animals that Walk On Two Legs
1. Basilisk Lizards
| Scientific Name | Basiliscus basiliscus |
| Type of Animal | Reptile |
| Range | tropical rainforests of Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Basilisk lizards are a unique species of lizard that can walk on water. Their two front legs are specially adapted to distribute their weight evenly, allowing them to stay afloat. They use these limbs to run across the surface of ponds and rivers, chasing down prey or escaping predators.
2. Bettong
| Scientific Name | Bettongia |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | the eastern half of Tasmania |
| Diet | Omnivore |
The bettong is a small, herbivorous marsupial that lives in Australia and Tasmania. Bettongs evolved the ability to walk on two legs about 40 million years ago, which allowed them to move more quickly and easily through dense vegetation.
Today, only a few isolated populations of bettongs remain, so they are considered endangered.
3. Black Bears
| Scientific Name | Ursus americanus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Alaska |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Black bears are the most well-known of the walking animals. They stand up on their hind legs to get a better view and smell.
4. Chimpanzees
| Scientific Name | Pan troglodytes |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | The central African Republic |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Chimpanzees are the closest living relative to humans, and they are the only other apes that walk on two legs. They can stand upright for short periods of time, and use their arms for balance.
Chimps typically walk on all fours, but will occasionally walk on two legs when traveling long distances or when carrying something heavy.
5. Crows
| Scientific Name | Corvus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Worldwide |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Crows are known for their exceptional intelligence amongst birds. They have been observed using tools to aid in procuring food and it is believed that they can count up to five.
When they fly, they soar effortlessly on the wind currents, but when walking around on land, Crows tend to favor two legs instead of four like most other bird species do
6. Dorcopsis
| Scientific Name | Dorcopsis |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | New Guinea |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The dorcopsis is a type of orangutan that lives in the forests of Asia. While they are primates, and therefore have evolved from walking on all fours to walking on two legs over time, these creatures have not yet fully adapted to their bipedal stance.
7. Emus
| Scientific Name | Dromaius novaehollandiae |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Australia |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Emus are large, flightless birds that live in Australia. They walk on two legs and use their wings for balance. Emus can run up to 30 mph, and they are very good at avoiding predators.
8. Flamingos
| Scientific Name | Phoenicopterus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Florida |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Flamingos are known for their bright pink feathers and their long necks. They have a unique way of eating food by tilting their heads back so far, that they can reach the water without getting wet.
Related Article: 9 Birds that Look Like Flamingos
9. Frilled Dragon
| Scientific Name | Chlamydosaurus kingii |
| Type of Animal | Reptile |
| Range | northern Australia |
| Diet | Carnivore |
The frilled dragon is a lizard that can be found in the Australian Outback. It is known for its unique ability to walk on two legs, as well as its large frill around its neck.
10. Giant Pangolins
| Scientific Name | Manis gigantea |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | central Africa |
| Diet | Carnivore |
The giant pangolin is the largest of all pangolins, and one of only two species that walk on two legs instead of four. They are found in Africa and parts of Asia and can weigh up to 73 pounds.
11. Gibbons
| Scientific Name | Hylobatidae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Southern Asia |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Gibbons are among the best-known animals that walk on two legs. They have a long slender body and their arms can reach around them making it easy for them to move about using just their strong upper bodies.
12. Galapagos Penguins
| Scientific Name | Spheniscus mendiculus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | the Galapagos Islands |
| Diet | Carnivore |
The Galapagos penguin is the only penguin that lives on the equator. They are also one of the smallest penguins in the world. These little guys have evolved to walk on two legs.
13. Grizzly Bears
| Scientific Name | Ursus arctos horribilis |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and possibly southern Colorado |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Grizzly bears are one of the most dangerous animals in all of North America. They can weigh over 1700 pounds and reach up to eight feet tall when standing on their hind legs. Their claws alone can be nearly four inches long, making them extremely lethal weapons.
14. Hopping Mice
| Scientific Name | Notomys |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | the Moore River area of south-western Australia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
These little guys are found in Australia and Southeast Asia. They look like regular mice, but they have a few special adaptations that make them stand out from the rest of their rodent brethrens.
15. Humans
| Scientific Name | Homo sapiens |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Humans, of course, the first and most obvious example of an animal that walks on two legs is humans. We have evolved to be bipedal, meaning that we walk on our two hind legs. This allows us to move faster and carry more weight than if we were to walk on all fours.
16. Jerboa
| Scientific Name | Allactaga |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | eastern Europe, Asia, and northern Africa |
| Diet | Omnivore |
The jerboa is a small rodent that can be found in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. It has two legs that it uses for hopping around, which helps it to escape from predators.
17. King Penguin
| Scientific Name | Aptenodytes patagonicus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | the sub-Antarctic islands |
| Diet | Carnivore |
The king penguin is a species of penguin that lives in the cold waters of the Antarctic. They are one of the few animals that have evolved to walk on two legs.
18. Kangaroo Rats
| Scientific Name | Dipodomys |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | western North America from southern Canada to southern Mexico |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The kangaroo rat is a rodent that lives in the deserts of North America. These creatures have evolved to walk on their hind legs, instead of all fours. They get their name from their ability to hop around like kangaroos.
19. Kangaroos
| Scientific Name | Macropodidae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Australia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Kangaroos are marsupials from Australia and the largest living species of marsupial. Although they look like mammals, there is a big difference between two leg walking animals and other mammals in that their babies develop inside them for about 30 days before being born.
20. Kultarr
| Scientific Name | Antechinomys laniger |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Australia |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Kultarr is one of the many races that live in Rokugan. They have evolved from a quadrupedal species to two-legged beings. While they were born with four arms and legs like their ancestors, evolution has taken them down a different path.
21. Mountain Gorilla
| Scientific Name | Gorilla beringei beringei |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Virunga Mountains |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The Mountain Gorilla is an ape native to the montane forests of central Africa. They are rightfully named for their unique ability to climb up steep slopes and even walk on two legs, just like humans do.
22. Ostriches
| Scientific Name | Struthio camelus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Africa |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Ostriches are best known for their large, vibrant, and colorful feathers. But these magnificent animals also have a few more interesting traits that make them the most famous two-legged creatures in the world.
23. Pademelon
| Scientific Name | Thylogale |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Australia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The pademelon is a small kangaroo-like marsupial from Australia. While it has the appearance of being more similar to an actual Kangaroo, it actually evolved from Red Koalas and tree-dwelling possums that developed their ability to walk upright on two legs in order to avoid predation by birds.
24. Pangolins
| Scientific Name | Pholidota |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Asia |
| Diet | Carnivore |
The pangolin is a unique creature that is found in Africa and Asia. They are one of the few mammals that have scales covering their bodies. And they are the only creatures that walk on their hind legs exclusively.
25. Polar Bears
| Scientific Name | Ursus maritimus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | the Arctic |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Polar bears are one of the few animals that actually evolved to walk on two legs. Their front paws act like hands, allowing them to carry things in their claws and hold prey while they eat it.
26. Quokka
| Scientific Name | Setonix brachyurus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Australia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The quokka is a small marsupial that can be found in the southwest of Australia. They are the only species in the genus Setonix and are related to the kangaroo. What makes them unique is that they are one of the few animals that have evolved to walk on two legs instead of four.
27. Raccoons
| Scientific Name | Procyon lotor |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | North America |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Raccoons are one of the most well-known animals that walk on two legs. They are often seen walking upright on their hind legs while using their front paws to hold onto objects.
28. Rockhopper Penguin
| Scientific Name | Eudyptes chrysocome |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | north of Antarctica, from Chile to New Zealand |
| Diet | Carnivore |
Rockhopper Penguin is the most common penguin in Antarctica and it breeds on a lot of the small islands surrounding that continent. They have evolved from their ancestors by developing stronger legs so they can walk around on land instead of swimming all day.
29. Silverback Gorillas
| Scientific Name | Gorilla beringei beringei |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | mountains in two protected parks in Africa |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The silverback gorilla is known for its black hair and large size. They can weigh up to 500 pounds, but the average weight of a full-grown male ape is around 400 pounds.
30. Springhare
| Scientific Name | Pedetes capensis |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Kenya and Tanzania as well as in Southwestern Africa |
| Diet | Herbivore |
The springhare is a small, hare-like creature that can be found in Africa. What makes it unique is that it is one of the few animals that walk on two legs instead of four. It does this to conserve energy, as it can run up to 35 miles per hour.
31. Tree Kangaroos
| Scientific Name | Dendrolagus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and the far north of Queensland, Australia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Tree Kangaroos are the only animals that can be considered to walk on two legs. They live in Australia and spend most of their time hopping around on trees. Tree kangaroos never have any problems balancing themselves with one leg on a tree limb while they use the other three limbs for motion.
32. Wallabies
| Scientific Name | Macropodidae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Australia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Wallabies are marsupials and live predominantly in Australia. There are three species of the wallaby that walk on two legs: red-necked, black-striped, and yellow-footed. They have evolved from walking completely upright to a more horizontal position.
33. Wallaroos
| Scientific Name | Macropus robustus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Australia |
| Diet | Herbivore |
Most people know that kangaroos are famous for their ability to jump and hop. What many do not realize is that this amazing feature of the roo only evolved in the last few million years ago.
The oldest species, Sthenurus, had a very long tail which they used as an extra limb while hopping around on all fours.
Hi, I’m Garreth. Living in South Africa I’ve had the pleasure of seeing most of these animals up close and personal. When I was younger I always wanted to be a game ranger but unfortunately, life happens and now at least I get to write about them and tell you my experiences.