Explore the extraordinary talents of Australia’s home-grown athletes, ranging from world class swimmers to remarkable long jumpers. In this article, they will delve deeper into how human Olympians could compare against these extraordinary animals, demonstrating evolution’s delight in diversity and the resilience of species to exist as well at extremes.
Aquatic Superstars
Swimming — The animal kingdom has some of the best when it comes to swimming. Even Caeleb Dressel, the fastest human swimmer, tops out at about 9km/h, but an Indo-Pacific sailfish can reach speeds of 30km/h.
The sailfish, however, is not the only contender for the title of fastest swimmer. A number of larger species typically reeled in off Australian waters — including the blue and black marlin and the torpedo-shaped bluefin tuna — are potential contenders for the top mark. These leviathans of the sea would put even the most skilled human swimmers to shame.
But, speed isnt the only way in which Aussies native animals impress underwater. In comparison, bottlenose dolphins can leap almost 7 meters out of the water, making them impressive at high jumping. Cuvier’s Beaked Whale wins again when it comes to free-diving since they are known to dive almost 3,000 meters.
Leaping Legends
Some of Australia’s wildlife may dominate the water, but others are veritable kings of their domain due to their great leaps. Take the famous red kangaroo that reaches speeds of around 70km/h and can jump over 13 metres.
But wont the long jump multivorce of this kangaroo is insufficient those gold medal words obtained when_between? The kangaroo is not the only one to boast these such impressive feats, as the snow leopard can jump over 15 meters which are found in other areas of the world. Nor, with the high jump, is it a kangaroo’s 3 meters vs. ability to clear over 7m by the bottlenose dolphin.
But, the kangaroo and dolphin would be shown up by an even tinnier competitor scaled for size — the froghopper. The Candiru are more athletic than an Olympian; these miniscule bugs can jump over 140 times their body length.
Conclusion
Our wildlife are some of the world’s best athletes, they define what is capable in the natural world. Because from largest known swimmer to highest diver, these animals have adapted in ways few species could hope to match. Sure they’re not running in the World Race, but if there’s one message from the wonders of evolution surely it’s that these are incredible animals that should be around for future generation to wonder at.
