He means “we” humans.
Not “we” Dopers.
There was a thread on that topic a while back, based on the claim that there was *no * animal that a human couldn’t run down. Humans have a great ability to shed heat, while animals that are faster than humans either overheat to exhaustion if they try to sustain the speed, or can’t continue to consume energy at the required rate for very long.
Not to be confused with that earthy beatnik hippie up the street we refer to as
“the hempster”.
Did you mean: hamster
Personal pet peeve. A few years ago I had a warning placed in all my employees’ files that misspelling hamster was grounds for termination. Hasn’t been an issue since.
Interesting. “Hampster” is an accepted alternative in the UK, according to both Chambers and the OED. Merriam-Webster Onlinen doesn’t list it at all.
Having said that, I always omit the P, and notice if it’s present (such as in this thread).
You sure about that? No dictionary I have ever seen has listed “hampster” as an acceptable spelling. The only one I have here is Collins, though. Okay, wait, I just looked in the full-size multi-volume OED. No dice. It does list a couple of archaic spellings, though, “hamester” from the 16th century, and “hampster” from the 19th century, but it’s certainly not an accepted current spelling.
Personally, I blame Hampshire and Colophon from
. 
My copy of the Oxford English Dictionary only gives ‘hamster’. :eek:
I’m overweight and slow but with proper motivation am able to get up pretty good speed.
I outran a bull once, well I made it to the fence first. I would have left a hamster in the dust.
So, what are the 4 animals?
Wolfs, kangaroos? What more?
I think humans can outrun just about any animal. Especially if we’re allowed to use our cars, planes, boats and helicopters.
Only three; the thumb doesn’t count. 
If we’re just counting legs, then I suggest:
millipede v. cheetah
American (pronghorn) antelope? Just a guess.
“Wolfs”? “Wolfs”?
I’d be surprised if pronghorn and caribou weren’t on the list.
You guys are hijacking my thread. It’s obvious what I meant. Start a new thread about the word “Hampster” if you wish to.
I think man is faster in races in which headspace exceeds 8 inches. In races with less than 8 inches of clearance I’d give the edge to the hamster.
Your thread has been answered already. No hamster is going to outpace a fully mobile human being without ballistic assistance.
Random thoughts -
I don’t believe pronghorns can maintain their speed for long, they’re sprinters (although they can run longer than a cheetah, iirc).
I pronounce it “hampster”
Little critters can be hard to catch because they’re so much more maneuverable - straight line race standing upright they’re easy to outrun, but stooped over trying to catch the little monster whilst stepping on books, Lego’s, laptops, etc. gives them an edge.
From Discovery…“With an alleged top speed of 60 miles an hour, the pronghorn antelope is second only to the cheetah. But whereas the cheetah is a mere sprinter, the pronghorn is an endurance runner par excellence. Herds of pronghorn galloping across the high prairies of Wyoming can average 40 miles an hour for half an hour or more. If pronghorn ran marathons, they would complete the course in 40 minutes. Human marathoners manage two hours and eight minutes at best.”
I’ve personally witnessed them at 45 mph on broken ground for well over a half hour. Utterly amazing endurance. They’ve developed this ability so as to outdistance even the wolf, one of their historic predators.