this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2024
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Science Memes

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submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] Tyfud 33 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Alligators can already outrun a person on land.

They just choose not to. Because they're lazy and they don't like running after their prey.

I suspect the same was probably true of whatever it was we killed off back then too.

[–] Bytemeister 6 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Flat solid land? Nah, person wins on any distance over a few feet.

Through brush and marsh? Nobody beats the gator.

[–] Tyfud 16 points 2 months ago (3 children)

That's not true. And another one.

TL;DR;

They can run up to 35mph over short (20-30ft) distances. Then they can run at a slightly slower (though faster than most humans) pace for a sustained period of roughly 100 feet (30ish meters for the non-'mericans).

In every scenario they can and will catch every human on earth except an Olympic sprinter. And even then, it wouldn't be a comfortable race for them.

The reason they don't chase you down and eat you on land, is because they've evolved to be ambush predators from water transitions to land. They are lazy. Simple as that. And their food comes to them in most cases. Why would they want to spend all those calories just to maybe get a un-tasty human? They conserve energy so they can perform several ambush attempts for prey, rather than one long chase.

In the end, their current approach gets them more calories for the efforts, which is why they've evolved that way.

But they can, on paper, absolutely wipe the floor with you in a sprint over solid, flat land. For 100 feet.

[–] Bytemeister 11 points 2 months ago

You should try reading your source...

"Experts say the American alligator’s top running speed clocks in at 11mph."

I a fat outta shape slouch, but I think in a life or death situation I could manage 11mph for a few minutes.

Sure they can burst a good bit of speed, but that 20-30 ft sprint mostly comes from them lunging with all 4 legs and their tail as hard as they can and then maybe 1 or 2 more lunges and some scrabbling.

It's mainly a matter of weight and gait. They got stubby little side protruding legs and they weight a ton incomparison to their leg musculature. They can high walk for a good distance, and they can gallop, but only for a few steps.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

Usain Bolt's fastest recorded speed is 27.79 mph.

Unless you can dust the fastest man on Earth in a footrace, you're gonna be a snack.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Yeah, humans are pretty slow compared to most animals. We're good at long distance running, but nearly every animal out sprints us. I'm sure most of us have tried to catch an animal before. I think the only ones I've actually caught are turtles on land and snakes, which weren't trying to run.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Not a lot of people can run 11mph for any distance, though.

[–] stoicmaverick 0 points 2 months ago (2 children)

They can only do that for about half of one body length though. It's not really a run, so much as a spring forward to surprise something with their murder mouth, and then pull it back into the water.

[–] Tyfud 5 points 2 months ago

No, sorry, that's not true. And another one.

TL;DR;

They can run 35mph in that short sprint you're talking about. Then they can run at a slower (though faster than most humans) pace for a sustained period of roughly 100 feet (30ish meters for the non-'mericans).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

No, that's 30mph that they can only do for a few feet.