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Wherever you look, there are reviews of the most nimble, graceful and hardy animals everywhere. And who will tell about other representatives of the fauna, which may have their drawbacks, but remain just as cute and necessary for our nature.
For example, the symbol of Australia, the eucalyptus-scented koala, is one of the slowest animals on the planet. But this does not prevent her from being a favorite of tourists, always ready for “hugs”.
Today we will get acquainted with a dozen clumsy, clumsy and slow animals. We will also find out exactly what reasons prevent them from developing a normal speed for moving.
10 American woodcock
It would seem that birds cannot be slow – they use their wings to move over considerable distances, sometimes making flights that are unique in duration. But still, among the birds there are their own “champions”.
For example, the American woodcock demonstrates the slowest bird flight recorded by scientists – only 8 kilometers per hour, or according to other estimates, 222 cm per second.
The bird itself is small, and, despite the slowness, has another valuable skill: high-set large eyes allow you to expand the field of view. Maybe the woodcock is not so much slow as scattered? After all, he can contemplate more along the way than other feathered representatives.
9. Manatee
And this is a representative of the water world. The sea cow, as an aquatic mammal, has fairly large dimensions – up to 4 meters in length and about 550 kg of live weight.
Of course, moving with such a mass in water with high resistance is not easy. The paddle-shaped tail and flippers, which are a bit modest in comparison with the total volume, help the manatee.
The animal is aware that it develops a speed of about 200 cm per second, so it tries to live in shallow water and not migrate over long distances. He lives settled, chewing grass – where to rush?
8. Poison tooth
It is necessary to mention the reptile – a large cute monster, which has the second name “Gila-monster”. Its size, as a rule, does not exceed 60 cm, and its weight can reach 0,7 kg.
The lizard lives in America and is, as you guessed from the name, poisonous. Of course, you still need to manage to get her bite, because she moves at a speed of 667 cm per second. Yes, and the animal eats only 10 times a year, so it is rarely interested in prey.
7. Sea Horse
Scientists already know about 54 species of seahorses from the smallest at 1,5 cm to 35,5 cm representatives.
Skates, as you know, swim vertically, so the resistance of water affects them noticeably. Therefore, these aquatic inhabitants do not reach a speed of more than one and a half meters per hour, for which they received the title of the slowest fish on Earth.
According to other estimates, the movement of bony needle-shaped skates reaches 0,04 cm per second. Of course, they do not have the speed of horses, but they still remain very pretty and interesting for research.
6. Slug
These defenseless “snails without a house” are so amusing to children and so depressing to gardeners. However, the slug will not run away if you chase it, so it is only important to spot them on the crop in time.
The unfortunate snail “winds” at only 0,3 kilometers per hour – and this is also the maximum recorded speed! The power slug does not consider it necessary to succumb to fuss, therefore it proudly cuts through the vineyards with its low speed.
5. Koala
A pretty marsupial koala sits on the branches of eucalyptus trees almost all its life, enthusiastically eating leaves. The slow animal can swim well and even gallop, but prefers to move as little as possible, hovering in one position up to 18 hours a day!
During the day, lazy mammals completely rest or simply apathetically hold on to a branch with their long claws. At night, the koala is ready to be “active” and move a little along the tree, eating fragrant leaves along the way. At the same time, the highest speed that the animal develops was recorded at around 447 centimeters per second.
4. giant tortoise
The fact that turtles are a symbol of slowness, we know from childhood. But they never thought about which of the many centenarians of our planet is the slowest. The leader is still a giant tortoise, which can live up to 190 years, almost slowly.
Still, you need to manage to carry a weight of 300 kg, especially when moving along the coastal sand. The legs of the turtle are not adapted for running – they are short, reminiscent of pillars. The movement speed is no more than 76 cm per second, but this is a good indicator.
3. Starfish
Another marine representative, which is slow. Of course, he moves a little faster than snails or sloths, but still the maximum speed does not exceed 2,8 meters per minute. There are about 1,5 starfish in the world, with some more active than others.
One of the slowest species is considered to be Dermasterias imbricata, capable of overpowering only 15 centimeters of water in a minute. The sand starfish develops the highest speed – it is its indicator that is 0,168 km per hour.
2. Sloth
This cozy, funny and unique animal is one of the most clumsy and lazy animals on the planet. The glorious sloth loves to hang in one position for several hours, and they sleep 15 hours a day, not at all ashamed.
The highest speed that this animal is capable of developing reaches only 2 meters per minute. A slow and lethargic mammal is forced to save energy – it, like the koala, feeds on leaves, but they do not provide the necessary energy for active movements.
The average speed of a three-toed sloth is 3 centimeters per second. But this should be very annoying!
1. garden snail
The snail is mentioned all the time in various parables, allegories and proverbs as a symbol of slowness. What to do – it’s so organized.
She rightfully gets the first place in terms of slowness in our review, since the maximum speed that she can develop does not exceed 1,3 centimeters per second.
If you count, then it can take a whole 21 hours for an unfortunate garden snail to walk a kilometer. Think twice before taking a snail for a photo or to show to the kids!
To return to the bush, where she lived peacefully, it will take several long hours of active movements. But the snail moves, in fact, on the lower surface of its only leg, and even drags a whole house on its back!
Here is such an informative review we have today. Animals, like people, have their own talents or skills. And slowness does not always mean laziness or clumsiness.