Californian Mites Beat the Cheetah, Get Crowned the Fastest Land Animal
At the speed of 60 whopping miles per hour, cheetah is well known as the fastest animal on the planet; but when it comes to speed based on body lengths per second, the Californian mite is what leaves the cheetah behind.
While the cheetah does manage an impressive 116 body lengths per second, the Californian mite covers a jaw dropping 322 body lengths per second, which is indeed commendable. The Paratarsotomus macropalpis, which is native to Southern California, is a close relative of ticks, and was discovered in the year 1916.
Californian Mites Beat the Cheetah
Photo Credits: Wikipedia
This Californian mite is believed to run at a speed equivalent to the speed of a person running 2,092 kilometers per hour, and has also managed to outrace the Australian Tiger beetle, which was previously known for its impressive speed of 171 body lengths per second.
The team of scientists who came across this interesting piece of news were actually attempting to study the muscular biochemistry and make up of insects, and discovered this fact by accident.
The researchers also found that these Californian mites were skilled at changing directions and had an impressive ability to tolerate heat- they were able to run on concrete surfaces heated upto 140 degrees Fahrenheit too.
It’s so cool to discover something that’s faster than anything else, and just to imagine, as a human, going that fast compared to your body length is really amazing,†Rubin explained. “But beyond that, looking deeper into the physics of how they accomplish these speeds could help inspire revolutionary new designs for things like robots or biomimetic devices.â€
Scientists are now trying to find an upper limit to the speed of these mites.
Californian Mites Beat the Cheetah, Get Crowned the Fastest Land Animal
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