Why don`t animals have wheels?

The wheel led to progress in civilisation. It took a long time for man to develop the wheel (4,000 BC).

en.wikipedia.org...

Dworkin said "The problem of supplying a freely rotating organ with blood vessels (not to mention nerves) that don't tie themselves in knots is too vivid to need spelling out!"

Trouble is there are body organs which do not have blood vessels and nerves to sustain them.

"Animals flap, flutter, float, run, walk and hop. They swim, slide, skate, oscillate, glide and paddle. Occasionally, they'll even curl up into balls and tumble head over heels. But not one animal rolls around upon a rotating body part: a biological wheel."

www.livescience.com...

Are there any views on ATS as to why animals have done everything else e.g. wings eyes etc but don`t have wheels?

reply to post by dr treg

"Animals flap, flutter, float, run, walk and hop. They swim, slide, skate, oscillate, glide and paddle. Occasionally, they'll even curl up into balls and tumble head over heels. But not one animal rolls around upon a rotating body part: a biological wheel."

Because what this describes are the actions or natural behaviors of animals.

Are there any views on ATS as to why animals have done everything else e.g. wings eyes etc but don`t have wheels?

I would think that it's because wings, eyes, etc. are examples of anatomy created in nature whereas a "wheel" is a creation of man.

TG

A wheel has to overcome every single bump in its path. By walking we step over the bumbs. Its all about energy, and walking uses less energy than a wheel because it avoids all those bumps..

reply to post by dr treg


Surely a wheel of any kind has to rotate freely upon an axle of some kind. Therefore it would have to be a separate entity to whatever life form incorporated it. No tether, no blood vessels, a freely rotating object on an axle.

The only way I could see this happening would be some advanced, super specialised, symbiotic relationship between two life forms.

There's no need to go that far when legs will do. Legs are better for rough terrain too

reply to post by dr treg


Because there's no need would be my guess.

Have you ever been in a wheelchair? It's not as easy as using legs.

Tried rollerskates? Have you tried rollerskates in the snow?

Have you ever skateboarded through mud?

Try driving a car through a forest where there's no road.

Nature's too smart for wheels.

Originally posted by Grifter81
reply to post by dr treg

 

Surely a wheel of any kind has to rotate freely upon an axle of some kind. Therefore it would have to be a separate entity to whatever life form incorporated it. No tether, no blood vessels, a freely rotating object on an axle.

The only way I could see this happening would be some advanced, super specialised, symbiotic relationship between two life forms.

There's no need to go that far when legs will do. Legs are better for rough terrain too

Theres a tiny litlle thing (flagelem?) that has a rotating tail.

Well, one of the reasons could be terrain, arms, legs, tail and tentacles are much better suited for rough terrain than a round wheel.

Because they would roll down hill when they sleep. Duh.

The same reason you walk to get around instead of wearing rollerskates

I think it is because the animals are smart enough to know inventing the wheel would just lead to over priced, questionably ethical auto mechanics.

Just a guess.

Wheels work really well on flat roads, whether asphalt or cobblestones, but the thing is, nature normally does not make flat roads, so there is no "incentive," i.e.: survival value, for animals to grow wheels. Plus, as has been pointed out, the nature of wheels is that they are on some sort of axle mechanism. Even if you use round spheres to act as rollers, the surrounding infrastructure acts as an axle. Ball joints, as in hips and shoulders, are about as close to wheels as you can get.

Try your wheel in the open terrain. It doesn't work so well if it isn't on a road.

oops others have pointed out the obvious.

reply to post by VoidHawk


But your on a microscopic scale with a flagellum. They do indeed rotate freely and you would think are more related to actual nuts and bolts mechanical geared systems than organic bacterium.

The beautiful nature of their construction makes you (well makes me at least) think about a designer.

This would be amazing at macro levels but I doubt it would work in an air medium at that scale? However, you never know?

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by Grifter81
reply to post by VoidHawk

 

But your on a microscopic scale with a flagellum. They do indeed rotate freely and you would think are more related to actual nuts and bolts mechanical geared systems than organic bacterium.

The beautiful nature of their construction makes you (well makes me at least) think about a designer.

This would be amazing at macro levels but I doubt it would work in an air medium at that scale? However, you never know?

en.wikipedia.org...

edit on 21/11/2012 by Grifter81 because: (no reason given)

I saw somewhere (will post it if I can find it) how the rotating tail evolved, there are other simmilar beasties in various stages leading to the rotating tail.

reply to post by VoidHawk


That would be interesting! I'm not one for the intelligent design road, usually evolution all the way but some things are so amazing it does make me wonder.

Like the complexities of the make up of a bacterial flagellum for instance.

Originally posted by dr treg
Are there any views on ATS as to why animals have done everything else e.g. wings eyes etc but don`t have wheels?

You never played or saw the "sonic the hedgehog" video games where he rolls up in a ball?

Did you know real hedgehogs can do that? Here's a video:

Pygmy Hedgehog Rolling Into A Ball


But as others have said, without roads, the wheel ain't so great, and roads aren't natural, so that's really the best answer.

Originally posted by VoidHawk


I saw somewhere (will post it if I can find it) how the rotating tail evolved, there are other simmilar beasties in various stages leading to the rotating tail.

it was said to have evolved from an injection system, it's still used by some bacteria too.

I read something about this.. wheels aren't all they are cracked up to be... especially if you are going up or down an incline or over obstacles. Or to put it another way.. maybe if someone made paved roads for all these creatures and continually maintained them for thousands of years they might evolve wheels.

Perhaps a sea creature could use its exoskeleton like a round wheel to move along the ocean floor? Do sea urchins roll on the bottom carried by a current?

I find it somewhat strange that this question has already been exactly asked and answered, six months ago, and viewed by over 1.3 million people online from the following video.