Hmmm…did I miss a day? It seems I am a day behind. Oh, well, better just do Saturday. I wouldn’t really have anything for Fieldnote Friday anyway.
Scientists from Britain’s Royal Veterinary College are trying to discover how cheetahs move at the highest running speeds on the planet. Cheetahs reach speeds of at least 64 miles per hour, a speed that can be reached in only a few seconds.
A cheetah in full sprint
Researchers baited the cheetahs by attaching chicken bits to a rope pulled at high speeds. As the chicken and cheetah move past, four high speeds cameras, which shoot at 1,000 frames per second, capture the action. Furthermore, sensitive computer plates in the track on which the cheetahs run will record the forces exerted by the legs of the cat.
Greyhounds can reach 40 miles per hour and are limited by the speed at which they can swing their legs. Humans, namely Usain Bolt, can reach 23 miles per hour due to comparatively low leg strength. So what makes cheetahs so fast?
Well, whereas greyhounds are artificially bred to be fast, cheetahs evolved by necessity for speed (a need for speed, so to say). Also, when a cheetah moves at full speed, the sides of its body shifts differently. What this means, is not quite known yet. It may be caused by their flexible spines, high scapulae (shoulder blades), or flexible legs.
The team also hopes to learn more about the cheetah’s top speeds. A 1965 experiment clocked the big cat at a high of 64 mph. That is now the standard. But researchers now think it is very likely that the cats can run even faster than this. To answer this big question, scientists want to study cheetahs in the wild for extended periods of time.
The Cosmic Perspective
This research made me ask some questions. We humans aren’t particularly amazing. We don’t have size and strength like elephants. We don’t have amazing eyesight like birds of prey. We don’t run that fast either. So how did we reach where we are today? Personally, I think it is our ability to quickly adapt to different situations by processing information. Many people are used to going to the supermarket and buying food, but drop them in the middle of the wilderness, and after some panic, will go right into survival mode and use what is available to them to create tools and survive. So perhaps that is what we are “the best” at.
Cheetahs are so cool.
They are also lazy! At Monarto Wildlife Park down here they’ve got a group of them (massive amounts of acres to roam in) and they hardly move at all except for when they hear the feed truck getting close to where their lazy, furry, butts are crashed.
My kinda cat!
By: Alaskan Dave Down Under on July 11, 2009
at 7:08 pm
Here’s some good info about about cheetahs for your readers:
http://www.zoossa.com.au/monarto-zoo/animals-exhibts/animals?species=Cheetah
Amazing about their body temp and recovery after those sprints!
By: Alaskan Dave Down Under on July 11, 2009
at 7:20 pm
The two reasons for our “greatness” is our brain and our thumbs. Read “Why We Run” if you want insight into the running aspect of it. The underlying theme of that book is that we can recognize that our prey is not necessarily lost because they are faster. We have foresight and can plan events in the future. We could easily catch up to a cheetah we know will be napping after their very short sprint.
As for the lack of moving side to side, this is a more efficient use of energy. All of their power is being used in the direction of their movement, and none lost in a the side to side swing of their body.
By: katie on July 12, 2009
at 10:18 am
@Dave: The laziness is probably mainly a result of them being in a zoo. A vast majority of animals who would otherwise be active don’t move once they are in a box or cage. Thanks for the website, though.
@katie: Precisely my point, we don’t just rely on animal insticts (run, kill, eat), we plan ahead and adapt quickly (I can’t catch this animal by my speed alone, so I will set up a trap!)
By: scienceguy288 on July 12, 2009
at 11:20 am