Listen to part of a lecture in a biology class.
All animals need to be able to survive in a particular habitat. Some animal species rely on their speed for survival. Being able to run or fly quickly helps them to hunt, to capture prey. And it also helps them to escape from danger. Why are these animals so fast? Well, these animals have developed physical adaptations that help them to run at high speeds. Let’s discuss a couple of these adaptations. Some animals have specially adapted feet that allow them to travel fast over rough ground. Extremely fast animals may have feet that are very tough on the bottom. This helps them escape from a predator or capture prey more efficiently, since they can run after them at high speeds over rough ground without hurting their feet. For example, the cheetah, these large cats are among the fastest animals in the world, and many of them live in the African desert, where the ground is rough and also gets very hot. So cheaters have feet with tough pads on the bottom. These pads protect them from the hot sand and sticks and stones, so they don’t hurt their feet and have to slow down. Another adaptation that allows animals to run at high speeds, especially adapted legs. Animals that have long, powerful legs are generally able to run faster than other animals. Looking again at the cheetah, the cheetah has very muscular back legs. When a cheetah starts to run, it pushes off on one of its powerful back legs, sending the body forward in a matter of seconds. What’s more, the cheetahs legs are very long, allowing them to take huge steps covering a greater distance in less time than if they had shorter legs.