Eli5: why do the vast majority of mammals walk on 4 legs, while humans only walk on 2?

Question

Eli5: why do the vast majority of mammals walk on 4 legs, while humans only walk on 2?

In: 2

Answer 1

4 legs are siginificantly faster. Each leg provides power and support, so more legs allow for more power.

But our evolution made humans experts at endurance. Pursuit predation is the act of following ones prey through hell and high water, by following signs and tracks rather than keeping pace with said prey. Our sweat glands and resitance to stress magnify that endurance even more.

Horses can run faster, but humans can run farther. We used our intelegence & our endurance to make up for our lack of speed.