RT Journal Article
T1 The body mass-maximum speed relationship and the athletic capability of giant proboscideans and sauropods
A1 Ruiz Pérez, Javier
A1 Romilio, Anthony
A1 Saarinen, Juha
A1 Torices Hernández, Angélica
A1 Jiménez Arenas, Juan Manuel
AB Estimating the maximum speed capability (athletic capability) of very large fossil animals is challenging. While large animals have limbs favoring longer stride lengths and higher speeds, their body mass imposes limitations on bones, joints, available forces, and physiology, resulting in the fastest animals not being the largest. Here we use the well-known relationship between body mass and potential maximum speed to calculate upper limits for the athletic capability of fossil giant proboscideans and sauropods. First, we assess the reliability of two different fits to maximum speed data for mammals. Subsequently, we analyze masses and speeds of live proboscideans, finding they consistently move below the lower bounds predicted by model fits. Finally, we propose maximum speed for representative fossil proboscideans and sauropods. Although calculated maximum speeds for larger proboscideans are comparatively lower, there is substantial overlap with those observed in live proboscideans. For the largest sauropods approaching or exceeding 50 Tn our calculated maximum speeds are around 10 km/h or lower. These findings suggest that immense body size and graviportal structure of sauropods were key factors likely restricting their locomotion to a single, steady gait, consistent with fossil trackway evidence.
PB Nature Publishing
YR 2025
FD 2025-12-25
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131056
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131056
LA eng
NO Ruiz, J., Romilio, A., Saarinen, J., Torices, A., & Jiménez-Arenas, J. M. (2025). The body mass-maximum speed relationship and the athletic capability of giant proboscideans and sauropods. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 2671. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32536-3
NO Research Council of Finland
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
NO Junta de Andalucía
DS Docta Complutense
RD 3 abr 2026