Can any land-based animal outperform an elite human marathon runner over the full distance? If so, which ones? (Continued)
鈥� A previous answer pointed out that the pronghorn 鈥� a creature similar to an antelope 鈥� could run a marathon in well under an hour. The answer also attributed the animal鈥檚 speed to the fact that it 鈥渉as evolved to outrun the grey wolf鈥�.
Maybe, but why is it that the pronghorn very easily outpaces wolves over long stretches, as well as the shorter distances required to escape the predator? A pronghorn鈥檚 top speed is around 90 kilometres an hour 鈥� making it second only to the cheetah 鈥� and it may be able to sustain speeds as high as 60 kilometres an hour for about 6 kilometres.
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In 1996, biologist is an . These predators may have included false cheetahs and endurance runners like the long-legged hyena. It is an appealing idea, although near impossible to confirm.
Michael Le Page, London, UK
