German, American and British scientists have calculated the maximum speeds with which dinosaurs could move. The corresponding study is published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
For example, tyrannosaurs (with a body weight of about six tons) could develop speeds of up to 30 kilometers per hour, small velociraptors (20 kilograms) – up to 40 kilometers per hour, large brachiosaurus (about 80 tons) – up to 18 kilometers per hour.
The authors’ study shows that the maximum speed of movement of animals grows up to a certain value of the mass of its body, and then it decreases. The reason for this, according to experts, is the energy deficit that occurs in the animal’s body during its accelerated movement to the maximum speed.
The authors came to such conclusions by creating a model that allows to predict the maximum developed rate of animals, knowing only the mass of its body. The construction of specialists was based on empirical data on 474 species of organisms with a mass of 30 micrograms to one hundred tons.
