Some animals cannot fly because flight is expensive, demanding, and not always worth keeping. In birds, insects, and a few other animals, wings may become smaller, stiffer, weaker, or useful for something other than air travel when running, swimming, hiding, breeding, or saving energy matters more than lifting off the ground. That does not make … Read more
Animal gaits are the repeatable patterns animals use when they walk, trot, pace, gallop, hop, bound, or run. The easiest way to understand a gait is to watch the order in which feet touch the ground. A horse walking slowly, a dog trotting across a yard, a cat sprinting after prey, and a kangaroo hopping … Read more
Animals that climb use far more than simple strength. A good climber needs grip, balance, body control, and the right body shape for the surface it lives on. A gecko on a wall, a monkey in the canopy, a mountain goat on a cliff, and a tree frog on a leaf are all solving the … Read more
Animals that jump the farthest are not all champions in the same way. A kangaroo may cover a long distance in one powerful bound, a frog can launch from a crouch with surprising force, and a tiny insect can travel many times its own body length by releasing stored energy like a spring. The best … Read more
The fastest land animals are built for different kinds of speed. The cheetah is the best-known sprint specialist, capable of the quickest short bursts on land, while the pronghorn is famous for combining high speed with unusual endurance. Other runners, including springbok, wildebeest, ostriches, lions, horses, and greyhounds, show that land speed is not one … Read more
