Work those legs!

by Latrans

Animals that are mostly humanoid would run in the same speed range as a human. This is largely due to a combined effect of the energy required to move the legs (humans have massively disproportional legs compared with most other animals) as well as the amount of ground a single stride can cover.

On the first point, consider that our legs work heavily on a pendulum effect. Very efficient for walking, but running is highly inefficient. On top of that, humans have very heavy legs compared to most other animals. They're built to hold us up, not push us forwards.

On the second point, compare a galloping animal to a running human. Compared to humans, the stride length to leg length is huge due to having a second set of legs to support weight while the first set is moving forward, translating into an extended distance. This is helped along in flexible animals (such as felids and canids) by being able to 'slinky' their body. Humans, on the other hand, are limited in the amount of time their single pair of legs may stay airborn, and, by extension, the distance they can travel in a single stride.

Posted on May 21, 2012, 11:08 PM

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