quadrupedal

This term is primarily used in biological, paleontological, and veterinary contexts to describe the anatomical adaptation of animals that move on four limbs. It carries a clinical and descriptive tone, distinguishing these organisms from bipeds (two-legged) or multipeds.

In evolutionary discussions, the word often appears when describing the transition of a species from one mode of locomotion to another, such as the shift from quadrupedal to bipedal movement in early hominids. It is a technical descriptor rather than a casual term.