Abstract
Most animals use different forms of locomotion to move through a varied environment. This allows them to adapt to find food, escape threats or migrate, while minimising their energetic cost of locomotion. To do so, animals must use the same locomotor modules to perform specialised tasks that often have opposed requirements. For example, an animal diving into the water to hunt requires a structure that is as lightweight as possible for efficient flight, whilst still being structurally strong when impacting the water’s surface.