A study from Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences has declared the Alaskan husky to world’s top animal athlete.
For the last decade, a team from Oklahoma State University has been studying the racing teams that take part in the Iditarod. As the study progressed, the researchers were able to observe dogs in other races and even conduct simulated races in a controlled environment. These simulated races allowed researchers to monitor heart and lung function for participants. Cool, huh?
The researchers figure that they’ve worked with more than five thousand dogs in various parts of the study over the last ten years.
What makes Alaskan huskies such awesome athletes?
- They can endure extreme weather including blizzards, sub-freezing temperatures, and high speed winds.
- They adapt unusually well to exercise. It takes just four days of strenuous exercise before the husky’s system returns to normal levels — even if the effort continues.
- They have superior aerobic capacity — that’s the ratio of oxygen in the body to weight per minute. A sled dog has twice the aerobic capacity of the average dog.
- They are incredibly efficient at converting food into fuel. They can burn up to 12,000 kilocalories per day! (Remind you of Olympian Michael Phelps?) The study authors believe that Alaskan huskies have thin cell membranes that allow them to absorb nutrients from the bloodstream during strenuous exercise.
- They do not suffer after-effects of extreme effort, like fatigue, muscle damage, ulcers, and immune system suppression. Human athletes usually need a recovery period after an extreme effort. Huskies are ready to go again without a recovery period.
Amazing! Just about the only animal that could nudge the husky out of the top spot is the wolf. I don’t know that there are many wolves signed up for the Iditarod and long-term studies like this, though.