

Usain Bolt Versus the House Cat  - cwan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204884404574364680587931684.html

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BigZaphod
"Man is the only animal that runs simply to do it."

I don't buy that. My dogs, when let loose in an open field, will run huge,
sweeping circles and loops at top speed simply for the fun of it as far as I
can tell. Perhaps a better way to put it is that wild animals tend not to run
for fun - but domestication, on the other hand, changes things pretty
dramatically. I get the impression the author was trying to take that moment
to make humans stand out as some kind of special, superior animal in this one
case because most of the rest of the examples had humans losing the race.
(couldn't resist...)

~~~
ars
Will they run flat out, and to exhaustion?

Kids will come home completely wiped, and adults push themself even farther,
will animals do that on their own?

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BigZaphod
Wild animals - I doubt they'd ever take that risk. Domesticated ones? I think
so. I've seen my dogs expend so much energy in a day that they can hardly walk
and even appear to stumble or plop down on the floor without their usual
grace. My parents' older dog will spend a day being hyper-excited (usually
caused by the presence of my dogs.. :) and refuse to move by evening. Like,
literally, she curls up in a ball and will not move for anything. Calling her
name, getting excited for her to come, tugging on her collar, holding food in
front of her... etc. When she gets that way, you just have to pick her up if
you want her to move - because she won't (or can't) do it on her own.

Perhaps it's just dogs and humans. I've never seen my cat get that excited. :)
My 8mo old, though, will wipe himself out if allowed to. I've seen him push
himself so long and hard that he climbed halfway up a pair of steps and fell
asleep in the process. (Was terrible cute seeing him asleep on the step -
looked oddly comfortable...)

~~~
ars
It's extremely interesting that the only other two animals that the author
mentioned as beating a human in a marathon were: dog, and horse.

Anyone have a playful horse and can tell us if they'll play to the point of
wiping themself out?

It's also interesting because apparently the problem is getting rid of heat
(which humans do very well). In the Iditarod that's not a problem. And I guess
dogs are willing to go to the limit, as long as they can. (And other animals
are not willing do so, even if they can.)

Are horses good at shedding heat?

Can you (are you willing to) do an experiment with your dog: next time they
are that tired (or better, just before), cool them off with a lot of water and
tell us if they rejuvenate? (Or keep them cool the whole time, and see if they
go longer than usual.)

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timf
If you're interested in the part about endurance adaptations for persistence
hunts, this book is great:

 _Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World
Has Never Seen_

[http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-
Greatest...](http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-
Greatest/dp/0307266303)

(if you are not interested, I wager after starting the book you will be :-))

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kingkongrevenge
The assertion that people are built for steady long distance endurance is
dubious considering the negative health consequences of endurance events.

People are clearly built for brisk walking very long distances. Running is not
so clear. Marathon runners and cyclists have a lot of problems.

<http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/08/top_ten_reasons.html>

The human body is multi-purpose. Most animals can't climb trees as well as
humans. That doesn't mean it's necessarily a great idea to climb lots of
trees.

~~~
timf
This position is the conventional wisdom the book tackles.

~~~
kingkongrevenge
Conventional wisdom is that long slow jogs are a good way to get healthier.
The clinical evidence indicates most people would do better with some sub mile
sprinting.

Does the book address the physiological damage documented in my link?

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tdonia
Persistence Hunting:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wI-9RJi0Qo>

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metra
How do we know that we are one of the few animals that can run long distance?
We might be one of the three who HAVE, but that is only because we have
attempted. And one of the other two animals who has run long distance, a
siberian husky, has only done it because humans forced him to.

Where is the proof that other animals are physically unable to run long
distance? Just because a horse doesn't drink the water does not mean he can't.

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cracki
do you think that in the entire history of humanity, there is a kind of animal
that hasn't been tried for all kinds of work?

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adrianwaj
I like articles such as this that confirm my belief that nothing is an
accident, unless something is too hard to explain, and might then be called an
accident.

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whatusername
Animals compete for status in lots of ways (plumage, fighting, nests, etc)

What's wrong with humans doing that?

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ojbyrne
Imagining him chasing a house cat is a nice visual.

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tetha
especially as he will loose... fast, agile little buggers, I'm speaking from
experience.

