They have this spring thing, where you see them wind up for half a second and then they do something far more agile (accelerate, jump, etc.) than you'd expect... for something that weighs that much.
Will never forget meeting a group on a trail, stepping off behind a (SUV-sized) boulder, then feeling them spook a bit and in 2 seconds go from a leisurely walking to thundering trot. Earth shaking with them just in a mild hurry! Not even full speed!
But they're built to outfight anything smaller than them and outrun anything bigger than them, so I guess they're as strong/fast as they need to be.
It doesn't mean they lift their entire body up 6 ft. They just have to be high enough to clear the belly while lifting their legs up. Just like steeplechase runners do. High jumpers never have their center of gravity above the bar, they just kinda fold themselves over it.
I read this and thought surely the center of gravity still has to pass over the bar. But right you are, the center of gravity can pass below the bar since it's just the average point of the mass. Cool!
Will never forget meeting a group on a trail, stepping off behind a (SUV-sized) boulder, then feeling them spook a bit and in 2 seconds go from a leisurely walking to thundering trot. Earth shaking with them just in a mild hurry! Not even full speed!
But they're built to outfight anything smaller than them and outrun anything bigger than them, so I guess they're as strong/fast as they need to be.