DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A single unifying physics theory can essentially describe how animals of every ilk, from flying insects to fish, get around, says a U.S. study.

Researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering and Pennsylvania State University say all animals bear the same stamp of physics in their design.

The researchers say the so-called constructal theory can explain basic characteristics of locomotion for every creature -- how fast they get from one place to another and how rapidly and forcefully they step, flap or paddle in relation to their mass.

Constructal theory is a powerful analytical approach to describing movement, or flows, in nature, says Adrian Bejan, of Duke University.

The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, says the findings have important implications for understanding factors that guide evolution by suggesting that many important functional characteristics of animal shape and locomotion are predictable from physics.