Medium-Sized Animals Are the Fastest on Earth
Data from 474 species suggest medium-sized animals run fastest because their muscles can store enough energy without becoming too heavy.
[FamTimes reporter Lee Kyung-han] A study has found that animals need a moderately sized build—neither too large nor too small—to run at their fastest speed.
According to Miriam Hirt, a zoologist at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research in Leipzig, studies focusing on particular types of animals, such as mammals, have produced meaningful findings among mammals within a limited size range.
The research team led by Hirt collected data on 474 cold- and warm-blooded species ranging from 30 micrograms to 100 tons and compared the animals’ speed and mass.
They found that speed limits were not caused by biomechanics or the way animals are grouped. The researchers also concluded that differences in animals’ speeds were a matter of metabolism.
Large animals have large, heavy muscles and require more energy to reach their maximum speed.
By contrast, medium-sized animals are smaller, so their muscles require relatively less energy, allowing them to store more energy. Among medium-sized animals, those with strong leg muscles that are still small enough to permit movement can run correspondingly fast.
Commenting on the findings, John Hutchinson, an evolutionary biologist at the Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire, UK, said, “There is great difficulty in finding an overarching concept for what limits acceleration.”
Reporter Lee Kyung-han fam1@pcss.co.kr
FAM타임스 명의로 발행된 기사를 모아 제공하는 매체 공용 저자 페이지입니다.
Comments 0