London - Elephants are known for their plodding pace but they are more quick-footed than they appear and may even break into a run, researchers said on Wednesday.
"We do find evidence that elephants run, in a sense," said John Hutchinson of Stanford University in California.
The massive mammals never have all four feet in the air at the same time but they do manage an intermediate gait which experts consider "running" and can reach speeds of 24km/h.
"They don't leave the ground, which is the classical definition, but they do seem to bounce, which is the biomechanical definition," Hutchinson explained.
To test just how quick elephants are, Hutchinson and his colleagues in Thailand and the United States used photo-sensors and video footage of 42 healthy, active, Asian elephants walking and running on a set course.
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They found that the average walking speed was about 7,2km/h but 32 animals reached a top speed of up to 24km/h and three even exceeded that.
Biomechanics have dubbed the elephant's gait "Groucho running" after the distinctive bent walk of the comedian Groucho Marx.
Hutchinson and his team, who reported their findings in the science journal Nature, hope their research will provide insights into how big animals overcome physical factors that limit their movement.
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