Are humans really the only animal capable of super long distance running, or are we just the only animals smart enough to understand training to do it?
Basically what’s in the text. I’ve heard that humans are the only animals capable of marathon style running, and that it was likely a hunting strategy used by some ancestors. But are we actually the only animals physically capable of doing that, or is it just that we are the only animals smart enough/capable of planning ahead enough to train and achieve that kind of endurance?
Edit: Some folks seem to be missing a couple points.
1: I’m not saying I agree that humans are the best physiologically, I’m wondering if it’s actually because we are the only animals with the intelligence, and caloric surplus, to spend on training to achieve this.
2: this is running, as in on-land, flying and swimming aren’t part of the scientific claim about endurance because the mechanics to them are different.
Here is an example of the articles/studies discussing this.