Arthropod locomotion. Artwork of a cockroach (top) and centipede (bottom) walking. Multi-legged animals walk with an alternating tripod gait. In cockroaches and other insects, the tripod is formed from two legs on one side and one leg on the opposite side of the body. The insect walks by making contact with the ground one tripod at a time (purple spots). Centipedes and other multi- legged animals form a tripod with one, or several, legs alternating either side of the body (orange spots). There may be more than one tripod depending on the curvature of the centipede body. The alternating tripod gait produces a fast yet stable walking action similar to a bipedal gait.