limblessness
Lacking arms, legs
Limblessness is the state of lacking limbs—arms, legs, or both.
The term applies to humans born without limbs or who have lost them, and to animals that naturally have none: the limblessness of snakes.
It appears in medical, biological, and disability contexts.
Cunning, limbless reptile
- slitherGlide smoothly, sinuously
- pythonNonvenomous squeezing snake
- cobraHooded venomous serpent
- viperFanged toxic serpent
anaconda · boa · constrictor · rattlesnake · mamba · adder · asp · scales
Surgical limb removal
- prosthesisManufactured replacement body part
- congenitalExisting from birth
- agenesisCongenital organ absence
- thalidomideSedative causing fetal deformities
wheelchair · assistive technology · accessibility · adaptation · mobility aid · birth defect · socket
Reduced, without current function
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
- speciationFormation of distinct species
atavism · rudimentary · degeneration · fossil record · ancestral · morphology · Hox genes · body plan
Moving on hands, knees
- rollingTurning over repeatedly
- slidingMoving smoothly across surface
- scootingMoving rapidly, often seated
- shufflingRandomizing order of items
propulsion · locomotion · undulation · wriggling · slithering · dragging · gliding · maneuverability
Permanently larval salamander
- salamanderTailed, moist-skinned amphibian
- newtSmall aquatic salamander
- tadpoleImmature aquatic amphibian
- burrowingDigging to create shelter
worm-like · metamorphosis · larval stage · neoteny · aquatic · elongated body · siren · eel-like
serpent
Cunning, limbless reptile
viper · anaconda · boa · constrictor · rattlesnake · mamba · adder · asp · scales · legless
amputation
Surgical limb removal
- prosthesisManufactured replacement body part
- congenitalExisting from birth
- agenesisCongenital organ absence
thalidomide · wheelchair · assistive technology · accessibility · adaptation · mobility aid · birth defect · socket
vestigial
Reduced, without current function
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
speciation · atavism · rudimentary · degeneration · fossil record · ancestral · morphology · Hox genes · body plan
crawling
Moving on hands, knees
- rollingTurning over repeatedly
- slidingMoving smoothly across surface
- scootingMoving rapidly, often seated
shuffling · propulsion · locomotion · undulation · wriggling · slithering · dragging · gliding · maneuverability · body rolling
axolotl
Permanently larval salamander
- salamanderTailed, moist-skinned amphibian
- newtSmall aquatic salamander
- tadpoleImmature aquatic amphibian
burrowing · worm-like · metamorphosis · larval stage · neoteny · aquatic · elongated body · siren · eel-like
limblessnesslimbed
Having projecting body parts
quadrupedal · appendaged · tetrapod · bipedal · legged