A Limb's Chief Functions

Do you know that forelimbs and hindlimbs serve different purposes in the locomotion of a quadruped? Since most of the animal’s weight is at its “front” – cranial – area, the forelimbs serves to transfer this weight onto the ground and thus has a visually straighter quality to it – especially when the animal is standing or landing. By constrast, the hindlimbs are where most of the thrust is, hence its overall diagonal gesture and bended components.