Large animals travel more slowly because they cannot keep cool – study

How far an animal can travel dictates where – and how far – it can migrate, find food, mate and spread into new territories

Large animals travel more slowly because they cannot keep cool – study (Ben Birchall/PA)

Large animals like elephants travel more slowly because they can not keep cool, a study has suggested.

Whether an animal is flying, running or swimming, its travelling speed is limited by how effectively it sheds the excess heat generated by its muscles, researchers found.