Which animals are an even match for humans in a race?

beavor wrote:

What about kind of fish?

Fish can't run on land so you would put the fish in water and make it swim and then get the human to run on land.

How speciesist of you to assume fish can't run on land.

It's not speciesist if it's true. There are zero times in my life that I remember, and mind you I have been outside quite a lot and sometimes near the water, where I saw a fish running on land. Other animals sure. For example dogs, cats, etc. but not a fish.

I can regularly match a squirrel's speed while running, but who knows if they're just messing with me. I really don't believe they have the aerobic capacity to do 1500m at that pace. I'd say about 600m would be a good race for a trained squirrel.

Also, someone mentioned the running of the bulls, which is an excellent indicator of the average athletic human vs. an animal over a fairly defined distance.

Cattle is a much better subject of discussion than horses. Here are some facts that may be true, I don't feel like checking them atm:

) Native Americans hunted buffalo on foot before they had horses. On one hand, they often used ambush, but on the other hand they were able to chase them off cliffs. Maybe they could run them down over distance too, I can't see a big fat buffalo running fast for long.

) The Zulu armies drove cattle with them on campaigns, one reason they were so effective since they didn't need supply lines. So cattle can go long distances presumably pretty fast.

) a US cattle drive could go about 15 miles a day.

beavor wrote:

It's not speciesist if it's true. There are zero times in my life that I remember, and mind you I have been outside quite a lot and sometimes near the water, where I saw a fish running on land. Other animals sure. For example dogs, cats, etc. but not a fish.

Well you may not be in the right area but you're also a moran.

Humans have been beating animals in a foot race for thousands of years....how do you think the hunter gatherers did it?

There are bushmen in Kalahari Desert that still do it. They slowly follow the prey (let's say a fast Impala or Springbok) and wait until it collapses from exhaustion, shoot the poison dart at it, carry it back.

rinse and repeat next day

I am Sam wrote:

Humans have been beating animals in a foot race for thousands of years....how do you think the hunter gatherers did it?

There are bushmen in Kalahari Desert that still do it. They slowly follow the prey (let's say a fast Impala or Springbok) and wait until it collapses from exhaustion, shoot the poison dart at it, carry it back.

rinse and repeat next day

Wrong. They stalk and shoot the poison dart or wound the animal first, then run it down. Unfair handicapping. Hunting isn't racing.

The best way of finding out whether you are a match for any animal in a footrace is to try to outrun an animal intent on biting you or sticking a horn into you. Good luck with that.

There are even animals that can even walk faster than a human can run. A charging African elephant does not run, as such, but walks - it never leaves the ground as a runner does - and can do so at a speed faster than you can sprint.

I am Sam wrote:

Humans have been beating animals in a foot race for thousands of years....how do you think the hunter gatherers did it?

There are bushmen in Kalahari Desert that still do it. They slowly follow the prey (let's say a fast Impala or Springbok) and wait until it collapses from exhaustion, shoot the poison dart at it, carry it back.

rinse and repeat next day

If the antelope knew the game, it'd be no contest. Their instinct tells them to sprint hard. If they knew what was going on, they could jog off away from the slow humans, get a drink, rest in the shade, and stay far enough away to survive. Humans win on strategy, not on physical capability.

I am Sam wrote:

Humans have been beating animals in a foot race for thousands of years....how do you think the hunter gatherers did it?

There are bushmen in Kalahari Desert that still do it. They slowly follow the prey (let's say a fast Impala or Springbok) and wait until it collapses from exhaustion, shoot the poison dart at it, carry it back.

rinse and repeat next day

Mostly myth. Individuals capable of doing this would be as rare as American 2:10 guys.

You wouldn't say Americans are generally 2:10 people.

I am Sam wrote:

Humans have been beating animals in a foot race for thousands of years....how do you think the hunter gatherers did it?

Spear, bows, and stealth generally.

The question is not which animals can beat humans, and which humans can beat animals. Most of you are just eliminating wrong answers. The question is which animals are just as fast - or at least we don't know if they are or not. The black mamba is a good candidate:

these snake experts say

"This particular snake is able to move at a speed of up to 12.5 miles per hour for long distances."

That's 14:50 5k pace for whatever "long distance" means.

https://www.snaketype.com/black-mamba/

Have either of you been in the Kalahari?

You asked about a 'footrace'...is it a sprint or an ultramarathon? If the animal hypothetically understood the terms of race, then many would beat, and eat, you over a sprint but most wouldn't over an ultra.

The bushmen don't 'stalk', sometimes it takes them two to three days of tracking, i.e. following the animal until it collapses, then it is poisoned (by arrows tipped with a chemical concoction of beetle larvae and plant extracts)

The Bushmen of the Kalahari already knew something thousands of years ago, that you guys are still questioning.

From Wikipaedia (Persistence Hunting)

Still wrong. The animal is poisoned or wounded at the beginning of the chase, not at the end. It is typically killed with a spear when it is no longer able to run.

Armstronglivs wrote:

Still wrong. The animal is poisoned or wounded at the beginning of the chase, not at the end. It is typically killed with a spear when it is no longer able to run.

So sorry that I cannot help you read.

Do the african wild dogs also poison their prey prior to persistence hunting?

Bad Wigins wrote:

Cattle is a much better subject of discussion than horses. Here are some facts that may be true, I don't feel like checking them atm:

) Native Americans hunted buffalo on foot before they had horses. On one hand, they often used ambush, but on the other hand they were able to chase them off cliffs. Maybe they could run them down over distance too, I can't see a big fat buffalo running fast for long.

) The Zulu armies drove cattle with them on campaigns, one reason they were so effective since they didn't need supply lines. So cattle can go long distances presumably pretty fast.

) a US cattle drive could go about 15 miles a day.

American bison are actually surprisingly good runners. They can hit nearly 40 mph (WAY faster than Bolt) and easily sustain 20 mph over several miles (putting Bekele to shame).

i don't think anyone has ever tested them over 26.2

I am Sam wrote:

Armstronglivs wrote:

Still wrong. The animal is poisoned or wounded at the beginning of the chase, not at the end. It is typically killed with a spear when it is no longer able to run.

So sorry that I cannot help you read.

Do the african wild dogs also poison their prey prior to persistence hunting?

No, and they don't at the end either. Why would the bushmen poison an already collapsed animal?

I am Sam wrote:

Armstronglivs wrote:

Still wrong. The animal is poisoned or wounded at the beginning of the chase, not at the end. It is typically killed with a spear when it is no longer able to run.

So sorry that I cannot help you read.

Do the african wild dogs also poison their prey prior to persistence hunting?

Um, Sam - are you suggesting that human hunters armed with weapons run down prey as a pack of hunting dogs do - with their top-speed of 65k and a sustained chase over several kilometres? Persistence hunting by humans bears no relationship to what predators like hunting dogs and wolves can do. Without their sustained speed it has to be different for humans, and our weapons for wounding or disabling the prey before pursuing it have been crucial to succeeding.