Why do smaller animals have such fast heartrates?
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The blood cycles their bodies faster. Smaller muscles require more energy to move at high speeds.
Smaller animals have a higher surface area, compared to their volume. So they lose heat faster and need a faster metabolism to compensate, and tend to use more oxygen (relative to their size). The result is, a small heart that must beat really fast.
(Engines are also similar. Some motorcycle engines can spin 10k or even 14k rpm. A car engine can typically spin 7,000 rpm. A semi truck may go up to 3,000 rpm, and a cargo ship might go up to 300 rpm.
The bigger engines produce a lot more power, and can create more energy with each stroke, but they cannot move at the same speed.)
The blood cycles their bodies faster. Smaller muscles require more energy to move at high speeds.
Smaller animals have a higher surface area, compared to their volume. So they lose heat faster and need a faster metabolism to compensate, and tend to use more oxygen (relative to their size). The result is, a small heart that must beat really fast.
(Engines are also similar. Some motorcycle engines can spin 10k or even 14k rpm. A car engine can typically spin 7,000 rpm. A semi truck may go up to 3,000 rpm, and a cargo ship might go up to 300 rpm.
The bigger engines produce a lot more power, and can create more energy with each stroke, but they cannot move at the same speed.)
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