Fosters Gigi and Brenda visited Mount Holyoke College's vertabrate anatomy class to teach studen
Greyhounds are the second fastest land animal on the planet. This means that you can learn some pretty cool stuff about what makes them so good at what they do! Gigi and Brenda wanted to help MHC students learn a bit more about why retired racers are so unique, so they visitted the vertabrate anatomy class! They also got a lot of good experience being in new places and meeting lots of new people!
Sight
Greyhounds have 270-degree range of vision and can see behind them and over
1⁄2 mile in front of them
Stereoscopic vision
Speed
Second fastest land animal
On average a Greyhound runs 40mph at racing speeds. At the start of a race
speeds can reach 50mph.
Running
Double suspension rotary gallop
All four feet are free from the ground in contracted and extended phases
during stride
Circular stride pattern, like a cheetah!
Spends 75% of time in the air
Flexible spine
Uses long tail to steer and keep balance
Size
Greyhounds’ height ranges from 27 to 30 inches tall. The average weight of males
is 65 to 85 pounds, and females range from 60 to 70 pounds.
Body
Greyhounds only have about 16% body fat, compared to the 30% average for dogs of comparable size
Larger heart and lungs
Highest percentage of fast-twitch muscles of any dog breed
High red blood cells
No undercoat
Susceptible to extreme temperatures
High body temperature
100,000 watts of waste heat energy are produced; enough to bring 600 ml of tap water to boil in 2 minutes.
A Greyhound about 5lbs during a race.
