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One price to run, swim or fly?

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  • R. McNeill Alexander

    (the School of Biology, University of Leeds)

Abstract

It has long been thought that the energetic costs of running are higher than for flying, and that swimming is cheaper than both. But recent estimates for mammals indicate that, weight for weight, these are about the same. Swimming is expensive for semi-aquatic mammals, so they tend to move slowly as a result: over a distance of 50 metres, dolphins swim five times faster than human world-record holders.

Suggested Citation

  • R. McNeill Alexander, 1999. "One price to run, swim or fly?," Nature, Nature, vol. 397(6721), pages 651-652, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:397:y:1999:i:6721:d:10.1038_17687
    DOI: 10.1038/17687
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