When is an elephant like a rabbit? (or is it a frog?)
No, no, nothing to do with big ears (though isn't there a desert hare lives somewhere that loses heat through its ears?) besides, I think frogs might also be candidates for this particular similarity and I've not seen a frog with big ears...
...and, of course, elephants can't jump (allegedly the only land mammal that can't - though I think rhinos might also qualify, I've surprised a few in my time and none took to the air (though they will bounce both forelegs off the ground to speed rotation in a way I've never seen elephants do - define jump - I now know I was wasting my time as I wasn't using all the fancy sounding bits of kit a proper scientist would)
Anyway the answer to my rhetorical question is...
...when moving faster than 2.5 times normal speed. So now you know.
Ought I explain? Well, I wish I could, I'm not sure I can, but a study called Three Dimensional Locomotor Dynamics of African (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximus) Elephants published by L. Ren, J. Hutchinson of The Royal Veterinary College, University of London has fallen off the newswire and caught my eye.
Reading it, I think it means that elephants get an inefficient spring in their step when they reach Mach 2.5 because the front legs cannot keep up with the back legs - my girls are generally too busy eating to even reach Mach 1 so it may not have a bearing here at all - the Lynchee and Pompui look odd when they run, but without a 3D Accelerometer I couldn't tell you much.
If Vet's Ren and Hutchinson happen to be reading this (or anyone else who is prepared to admit to owning a 3D Gyroscope) perhaps they could let me know if rabbits or frogs are the closer guess and then we can also discuss the chances of me doing a Masters in saying boo to rhinos.
The summary of their work is posted below, so please to read and see if you come to the same conclusion I did - meanwhile I'll keep a close eye on those of my eles pre-disposed (i.e. not too fat) to run.
...and, of course, elephants can't jump (allegedly the only land mammal that can't - though I think rhinos might also qualify, I've surprised a few in my time and none took to the air (though they will bounce both forelegs off the ground to speed rotation in a way I've never seen elephants do - define jump - I now know I was wasting my time as I wasn't using all the fancy sounding bits of kit a proper scientist would)
Anyway the answer to my rhetorical question is...
...when moving faster than 2.5 times normal speed. So now you know.
Ought I explain? Well, I wish I could, I'm not sure I can, but a study called Three Dimensional Locomotor Dynamics of African (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximus) Elephants published by L. Ren, J. Hutchinson of The Royal Veterinary College, University of London has fallen off the newswire and caught my eye.
Reading it, I think it means that elephants get an inefficient spring in their step when they reach Mach 2.5 because the front legs cannot keep up with the back legs - my girls are generally too busy eating to even reach Mach 1 so it may not have a bearing here at all - the Lynchee and Pompui look odd when they run, but without a 3D Accelerometer I couldn't tell you much.
If Vet's Ren and Hutchinson happen to be reading this (or anyone else who is prepared to admit to owning a 3D Gyroscope) perhaps they could let me know if rabbits or frogs are the closer guess and then we can also discuss the chances of me doing a Masters in saying boo to rhinos.
The summary of their work is posted below, so please to read and see if you come to the same conclusion I did - meanwhile I'll keep a close eye on those of my eles pre-disposed (i.e. not too fat) to run.
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