Haldane's paradox

Haldane's paradox highlights a situation in evolutionary biology where animals living in high-altitude environments, like mountains, often have higher resting metabolic rates than those at lower elevations, even though higher metabolism consumes more oxygen and seems inefficient. The paradox is that, despite the greater oxygen demands, these animals thrive at high altitudes by evolving adaptations that allow them to efficiently use limited oxygen. This challenges the expectation that lower activity levels at high altitudes would mean lower metabolic rates, illustrating the complex ways animals adapt to extreme environments.