Taylor C R, Caldwell S L, Rowntree V J
Science. 1972 Dec 8;178(4065):1096-7. doi: 10.1126/science.178.4065.1096.
Small mammals are able to run at about the same maximum speed vertically as horizontally, but larger mammals cannot do this. During level running a mouse weighing 30 grams uses about eight times as much energy per unit of body weight as does a chimpanzee weighing 17.5 kilograms (42.6 joules per kilogram meter versus 5.17 joules per kilogram meter). The additional energy required to lift 1 kilogram of body weight 1 meter while running uphill was similar for the two species (about 15.5 joules per kilogram meter). Therefore the increment in energy expenditure for mice to run uphill compared to running horizontally is about one-eighth that for a chimpanzee. Both mice and chimpanzees were able to recover about 90 percent of the energy stored running uphill on the way down.
小型哺乳动物能够以与水平奔跑时大致相同的最高速度垂直奔跑，但大型哺乳动物则无法做到这一点。在水平奔跑时，一只30克重的老鼠每单位体重消耗的能量约为一只17.5千克重的黑猩猩的八倍（每千克米42.6焦耳对每千克米5.17焦耳）。对于这两个物种来说，在上坡奔跑时将1千克体重提升1米所需的额外能量是相似的（约每千克米15.5焦耳）。因此，与水平奔跑相比，老鼠上坡奔跑时能量消耗的增加量约为黑猩猩的八分之一。老鼠和黑猩猩在上坡奔跑时储存的能量在下山途中都能够恢复约90%。
