Galumphing

Galumphing is a method of locomotion employed by earless seals. Earless seals cannot turn their hind flippers downward, and as such they appear to be very clumsy on land, having to wriggle with their front flippers and abdominal muscles. The result is an almost comical method of movement, that is not intended to be used over long distances.

A similar mode of movement might have been employed by Hesperornithes, namely the genus Hesperornis. These were prehistoric flightless birds specialized for swimming and diving. Their lower legs were flush with and probably even attached to the sides of the body, and the feet stretched away sideways. This made them excellent divers, but almost certainly completely unable to walk. Consequently, they either had to galumph, or to slide along on their bellies like otters do. Other Hesperornithes, such as the smaller Baptornis might have been able to manage short hops with their feet.

The word was coined in 1871 by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, part of the novel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There.

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