"Jogging" shrimp an Internet hit

BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Chinese medianet) -- A four-inch (25

centimeters) long shrimp becomes an Internet hit after its "jogging" video

on a treadmill in a tank of water was released in Youtube recently.

Scientists found it could move at speeds of 66 feet

(20 meters) per minute and that it was able to continue for three hours before

needing a rest.

The video on Youtube has been seen by more than a

million people.

"'As far as I know, this is the first time that

shrimp have been exercised on a treadmill and it was amazing to see how well

they did," said professor David Scholnick, of the Pacific University in Oregon

in America, one of the scientists involved.

Some fans have even put music to it -- such as the

Benny Hill theme tune or music from the film Chariots of Fire.

The experiment aimed to measure and compare the

activity levels of both healthy and sick shrimps, and see how far shrimps would

travel for food.

"The situation is much more critical for a sick

crustacean where a decrease in performance may mean the difference between life

and death," said Scholnick.

"These studies will give us a better idea of how

marine animals can perform in their native habitat when faced with increasing

pathogens and immunological challenges," he added.

(Agencies)