Now this is streaming video.
Researchers at Georgia Tech have compiled footage of animals peeing to prove their "law of urination," which states that mammals take about 21 seconds to pee.
Male or female, small bladder or big bladder, it doesn't matter. Elephants, farm animals, dogs and any mammal above a kilogram in weight require a similar time frame to relieve themselves, give or take 13 seconds.
As for an elephant, the researchers explain in the video above that the animal's wider and longer urethra compensates for the huge volume the animal must discharge -- that gives the liquid more room to flow and generates greater gravitational pull to increase the speed, Dr. David Hu, assistant professor of biology at Georgia Tech, told The Huffington Post. Previous research has focused more on bladder pressure.
The researchers arrived at their findings by testing mammals at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia, and they weren't just out to wow us with theory. In fact, they wrote that their study, might help diagnose animals' urinary problems, according to Discover magazine. They also expressed hope that the flow-enhancing properties of the urethra could be applied to improve man-made hydrodynamic systems such as water towers.
If you're wondering what the average pee time for humans is -- yes, it's also 21 seconds, Hu told HuffPost. "A lot of properties of the human bladder match what would be expected for a mammal of that mass," he said.
Having a few beers might add time to that average, but drinking alcohol would be considered an "extreme condition," Hu said, kind of like the beagle that once ate watermelon and peed for more than a minute. You can see that stunt below.
(Hat tip, New Scientist)
Related
Before You Go
