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New research finally answers why cheetahs are so fast
Cheetahs are famously the worlds fastest land animals, capable of running at speeds of up to 75mph, and new research has revealed why the big cats are so fast.
A study conducted by a team of international researchers compared data collected on more than 400 animal species, from tiny insects to six-ton elephants, to examine the attributes that dictate the speed at which an animal can move.
Study explores what dictates the speed of animals
Led by Dr David Labonte of Imperial College London and featuring input from researchers at Harvard University, The University of Queensland and The University of the Sunshine Coast, the scientific study – published in Nature Communications – explores various traits within the animal kingdom and their impact on a creatures speed.
There are two key limits that determine how fast an animal can move – these are how fast an animals muscles can contract (kinetic energy capacity limit) as well as how far an animals muscles can contract (work capacity limit).
The maximum speed that an animal can reach is dependent on whichever of these limits is reached first and those limits are dictated by an animals size.
For example, while an insect can move its small muscles very quickly, its tiny size means that it cant move them very far. Conversely, a large animal like an elephant can move and contract its muscles much further but given the fact theyre so large and heavy, their muscles produce less force compared to their massive body weight, meaning theyre unable to move very quickly.
Cheetahs exist in a physical sweet spot
The reason why medium-sized animals such as cheetahs can run at such rapid speeds is because they exist in just the right physical range which means these limits on their muscles can be pushed much further.
Co-author of the study Professor Christofer Clemente from The University of the Sunshine Coast and The University of Queensland, said: “Animals about the size of a cheetah exist in a physical sweet spot at around 50kg, where these two limits coincide. These animals are consequently the fastest.
While the study does provide a fascinating insight into the speed of land animals, it fails to take into account the fastest-moving flying or swimming animals.
However, according to the paper’s lead author Dr David Labonte, further exploration into these areas of the animal kingdom is his teams next area of research: Physical constraints affect swimming and flying animals as much as running animals – and unlocking these limits is next on our agenda.”
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