Georges Cuvier

The appearance of the bones of quadrupeds, especially those of complete bodies in the strata, tells us either that the layer itself which carries them was in earlier times dry land or that dry land was at least formed in the immediate area.

French Scientist

William Bartram

First I shall name the eagle, of which there are three species: the great grey eagle is the largest, of great strength and high flight; he chiefly preys on fawns and other young quadrupeds.

American Environmentalist

Secondly, the nature of the revolutions which have altered the surface of the earth must have had a more decisive effect on the terrestrial quadrupeds than on the marine animals.

Donald Johanson

You don't just magically flip some evolutionary switch somewhere and transmute a quadruped into an upright-walking bipedal human.

American Scientist

Charles Lyell

In valley drift we meet commonly with the bones of quadrupeds which graze on plains bordering rivers.

British Lawyer

Charles Darwin

Man is descended from a hairy, tailed quadruped, probably arboreal in its habits.

English Scientist

Quadruped is used for living animals, not objects with four support points.

Living Creatures

Quadrupeds and bipeds are opposites; 'quadruped' highlights the animal doesn't walk on two legs.

Not Bipedal

Quadruped animals walk with their legs, distinguishing them from creatures that crawl or slither.

Walking, Not Crawling

The adjective form describes non-living things with four supports, like furniture or robots.

Non-living Context

While vehicles may have four wheels, 'quadruped' isn't used to describe them.

Not for Vehicles

Using 'quadruped' can suggest something is stable or balanced due to its four points of contact.

Stability Implication

 So among all these animals, one of my favorites is the salamander. You might ask why, and it's because as an amphibian, it's a really key animal from an evolutionary point of view. It makes a wonderful link between swimming, as you find it in eels or fish, and quadruped locomotion, as you see in mammals, in cats and humans.