When running, which animal's feet hit the ground with the greatest frequency and what is that frequency?

Arpeggionist

I'm only venturing a guess, but probably a milliped moving at top speed qualifies as a candidate, since at no time does it have all of its legs off the ground. When rushing from one place to another, snakes never raise a single foot. It is not an advantage to have the feet hit the ground more frequently, as that creates friction and slows an animal down. The best runners are those who have as little contact as possible with the ground. (Which is why cheetahs are great sprinters but terrible at maintaining speed, while their smaller-footed prey - like the common Grant's gazelle - can usually maintain a high speed for longer periods of time.) Aug 23 05, 4:34 PM

gmackematix

Only a few of a millipedes legs hit the ground at a time and they stay there until the next ripple of movement reaches them. Also, millipedes don't have much of a top speed as far as creatures their size are concerned. So if they fall in the top hundred animals in terms of footfalls per second I'd be surprised. As for no advantage in having the feet hit the ground, if you want to zigzag around evasively it could be quite an advantage. I'm still none the wiser about this though. How about something that scuttles at high speed like a cockroach? Aug 23 05, 7:16 PM

Arpeggionist

Roaches do indeed scuttle. But you'll notice that when they do they tend to run in a more sophisticated manner than when they walk - almost like any higher animal. It's almost as if, when in danger, a roach will suddenly remember with a feeling of disdain and regret that it has six legs. At times in order to get out of danger, a roach will simply chose to hop as far as its weight will let it (though that usually doesn't save the things from the likes of my foot). Spiders are a better candidate. Aug 24 05, 1:04 AM

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