What does plantigrade mean?

• A. Walking on the toes of the feet.
• B. Walking on the soles of the feet, like a human or a bear.
• C. Walking on the heels only.
• D. Climbing trees.

Answer: (B)

Plantigrade means walking with the entire sole of the foot in contact with the ground, from heel to toe. This is why humans and bears move this way, since the full-foot contact provides stability and distributes body weight evenly during steps. Walking on the toes describes a digitigrade gait, used by many fast, agile animals but not plantigrade. Walking on the heels only isn’t a standard gait term, and climbing trees isn’t about how the foot bears weight on the ground, so it doesn’t define plantigrade.