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Which animal is the most fit?

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  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    We need to test a gazelle, too. Any gazelle that's alive is faster than the cheetah that was trying to eat it.

    I saw a nature documentary once that said a cheetah can run full speed on three legs, and use the other one to trip a gazelle. Their jaws open to exactly the size of a gazelle neck. They can hunt other animals, but if the gazelle ever went extinct the cheetah would follow, they're so specialized.
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    Even in the best shape, human beings are the least "fit" of all living things by almost any means of measurement or comparison.

    Our only "advantage" comes from how we use our brains to overcome our physical deficiencies. Otherwise, we'd be very low on the food chain.

    I wish I knew more about this kind of stuff, because it's fascinating.

    We humans are pretty fragile. We're also slow. It's amazing we made it this far, through a past when other animals hunted and ate us regularly. Before we even had fitbits to tell us how fast to run to get away from hyenas!

    Apparently we're the best distance runners. A horse will run a faster mile every time, but a human will run a faster marathon. Our ancestors used that to their advantage hunting.

    Watched a Netflix documentary about some marathoners testing out the idea hunters could out-endure their prey, eventually.

    But in their example, the prey were pretty smart and switching out fresh animals to be chased, the humans finally caught on.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    @NorthCascades
    @heybales


    It's not just larger prey that could be endurance hunted...
    My Dad was evacuated from London as a child during WW2 to the countryside (as many were) and supplemented his pocket money by endurance hunting game birds.

    He would chase after Pheasants which could fly quickly but not far. By continuing to run after them they would repeatedly fly away but after a while become too tired to fly.
    He would then despatch them and either sell them to local butchers (who were pleased they weren't full of shot) or trade them at country pubs for pints of rough cider.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited August 2017
    I'm thinking pheasants might not be as smart either.

    That's wild to have that kind of modern application - how old was he with all that running around?

    Found the movie.
    http://www.fairchasemovie.com/

    Sadly I don't see it on Netflix anymore, but appears to be on iTunes still.
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
    I wonder how my Jack Russell would do on VO2.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    I'm thinking pheasants might not be as smart either.

    That's wild to have that kind of modern application - how old was he with all that running around?

    Found the movie.
    http://www.fairchasemovie.com/

    Sadly I don't see it on Netflix anymore, but appears to be on iTunes still.

    @heybales
    Pheasants are pretty dumb. Dumb and tasty isn't a great combination for longevity!

    Dad was evacuated from London during the Blitz at age 15 to the safety of Devon.
    Came back at 16 and volunteered for the Army at 17.

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