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"Man is the only animal that runs simply to do it." I don't buy that. My dogs, when let loose in an open field, will run huge, sweeping circles and loops at to

"Man is the only animal that runs simply to do it." I don't buy that. My dogs, when let loose in an open field, will run huge, sweeping circles and loops at top speed simply for the fun of it as far as I can tell. Perhaps a better way to put it is that wild animals tend not to run for fun - but domestication, on the other hand, changes things pretty dramatically. I get the impression the author was trying to take that moment to make humans stand out as some kind of special, superior animal in this one case because most of the rest of the examples had humans losing the race. (couldn't resist...)

ars 17y ago
Will they run flat out, and to exhaustion? Kids will come home completely wiped, and adults push themself even farther, will animals do that on their own?
- RyanMcGreal 17y ago
  Yes. I sometimes take care of a half Shepherd/half Collie, and when I take him to the off-leash park, he and his fellow dogs run themselves to exhaustion. I can say this with some confidence because of the way he staggers back over to me after his romp and flops down dead at my feet.
- BigZaphod 17y ago
  Wild animals - I doubt they'd ever take that risk. Domesticated ones? I think so. I've seen my dogs expend so much energy in a day that they can hardly walk and even appear to stumble or plop down on the floor without their usual grace. My parents' older dog will spend a day being hyper-excited (usually caused by the presence of my dogs.. :) and refuse to move by evening. Like, literally, she curls up in a ball and will not move for anything. Calling her name, getting excited for her to come, tugging on her collar, holding food in front of her... etc. When she gets that way, you just have to pick her up if you want her to move - because she won't (or can't) do it on her own. Perhaps it's just dogs and humans. I've never seen my cat get that excited. :) My 8mo old, though, will wipe himself out if allowed to. I've seen him push himself so long and hard that he climbed halfway up a pair of steps and fell asleep in the process. (Was terrible cute seeing him asleep on the step - looked oddly comfortable...)
  - ars 17y ago
    It's extremely interesting that the only other two animals that the author mentioned as beating a human in a marathon were: dog, and horse. Anyone have a playful horse and can tell us if they'll play to the point of wiping themself out? It's also interesting because apparently the problem is getting rid of heat (which humans do very well). In the Iditarod that's not a problem. And I guess dogs are willing to go to the limit, as long as they can. (And other animals are not willing do so, even if they can.) Are horses good at shedding heat? Can you (are you willing to) do an experiment with your dog: next time they are that tired (or better, just before), cool them off with a lot of water and tell us if they rejuvenate? (Or keep them cool the whole time, and see if they go longer than usual.)
donaq 17y ago
Adding to that, I recently visited a wildlife park in Australia and there was a Tasmanian Devil in an enclosure which was just running in loops over and over again. I watched for about 10 minutes, fascinated. It probably won't run itself to death for no reason, though.
cracki 17y ago
when i read the article, i got the impression (especially from the last sentence) that the author shakes their head at the insane, wasteful, selfdestructive behavior of humans.
adrianwaj 17y ago
The author didn't even differentiate us as having only two legs. Humans can stand tall and can see over greater areas than say dogs, and keep better watch for threats, opportunities and escape routes. Because of our brains and hands, we can cultivate and domesticate (observing seasons) so as to prepare and store food in advance for easier survival and longevity, giving us time to think about other things and move beyond subsistence. We can also move between great temperatures zones by using clothes. We can also navigate with the aid of maps and use fire to cook so that meat is easier to digest, thus being able to have a multi-use digestive tracts. This means having a greater nutritional range so that a more complex organism can evolve and giving us access to a greater array of possible food. Domesticating dogs meant we could sleep for longer periods while the dogs could warn us of wild animals or scare them off: good for REM whilst travelling over long distances and thus unable to build fences.
eldenbishop 17y ago
Rats run compulsively if given access to an exercise wheel. "Rats offered wheels are known to steadily increase their use of them over time, said Kanarek, whose study appeared in the August issue of the journal Behavioral Neuroscience."

ars 17y ago

Will they run flat out, and to exhaustion? Kids will come home completely wiped, and adults push themself even farther, will animals do that on their own?

RyanMcGreal 17y ago
Yes. I sometimes take care of a half Shepherd/half Collie, and when I take him to the off-leash park, he and his fellow dogs run themselves to exhaustion. I can say this with some confidence because of the way he staggers back over to me after his romp and flops down dead at my feet.
BigZaphod 17y ago
Wild animals - I doubt they'd ever take that risk. Domesticated ones? I think so. I've seen my dogs expend so much energy in a day that they can hardly walk and even appear to stumble or plop down on the floor without their usual grace. My parents' older dog will spend a day being hyper-excited (usually caused by the presence of my dogs.. :) and refuse to move by evening. Like, literally, she curls up in a ball and will not move for anything. Calling her name, getting excited for her to come, tugging on her collar, holding food in front of her... etc. When she gets that way, you just have to pick her up if you want her to move - because she won't (or can't) do it on her own. Perhaps it's just dogs and humans. I've never seen my cat get that excited. :) My 8mo old, though, will wipe himself out if allowed to. I've seen him push himself so long and hard that he climbed halfway up a pair of steps and fell asleep in the process. (Was terrible cute seeing him asleep on the step - looked oddly comfortable...)
- ars 17y ago
  It's extremely interesting that the only other two animals that the author mentioned as beating a human in a marathon were: dog, and horse. Anyone have a playful horse and can tell us if they'll play to the point of wiping themself out? It's also interesting because apparently the problem is getting rid of heat (which humans do very well). In the Iditarod that's not a problem. And I guess dogs are willing to go to the limit, as long as they can. (And other animals are not willing do so, even if they can.) Are horses good at shedding heat? Can you (are you willing to) do an experiment with your dog: next time they are that tired (or better, just before), cool them off with a lot of water and tell us if they rejuvenate? (Or keep them cool the whole time, and see if they go longer than usual.)

donaq 17y ago

Adding to that, I recently visited a wildlife park in Australia and there was a Tasmanian Devil in an enclosure which was just running in loops over and over again. I watched for about 10 minutes, fascinated. It probably won't run itself to death for no reason, though.

cracki 17y ago

when i read the article, i got the impression (especially from the last sentence) that the author shakes their head at the insane, wasteful, selfdestructive behavior of humans.

adrianwaj 17y ago

The author didn't even differentiate us as having only two legs. Humans can stand tall and can see over greater areas than say dogs, and keep better watch for threats, opportunities and escape routes. Because of our brains and hands, we can cultivate and domesticate (observing seasons) so as to prepare and store food in advance for easier survival and longevity, giving us time to think about other things and move beyond subsistence. We can also move between great temperatures zones by using clothes. We can also navigate with the aid of maps and use fire to cook so that meat is easier to digest, thus being able to have a multi-use digestive tracts. This means having a greater nutritional range so that a more complex organism can evolve and giving us access to a greater array of possible food. Domesticating dogs meant we could sleep for longer periods while the dogs could warn us of wild animals or scare them off: good for REM whilst travelling over long distances and thus unable to build fences.

eldenbishop 17y ago

Rats run compulsively if given access to an exercise wheel. "Rats offered wheels are known to steadily increase their use of them over time, said Kanarek, whose study appeared in the August issue of the journal Behavioral Neuroscience."