Fast Animals

This magnificent bird of prey is renowned for its speed and is the fastest bird in the world, as well as the fastest member of the animal kingdom! The Peregrine falcon reaches faster speeds than any other animal on the planet when performing the stoop, which involves soaring to a great height and then diving steeply at speeds of over 320 km/h (200 mph), hitting one wing of its prey so as not to harm itself on impact. There is also another ...
interesting fact - according to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a Peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph)! Less

And this is the fastest land animal. The cheetah is capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph) with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being 93 and 98 km/h (58 and 61 mph). It has several adaptations for prolonged chases to catch prey at some of the fastest recorded speeds. Its light, the streamlined body makes it well-suited to short, explosive bursts of speed, rapid acceleration, and an ability to execute extreme changes in ...
direction while moving at high speed. During a typical chase, the respiratory rate of the cheetah increases from 60 to 150 breaths per minute. While running, in addition to having good traction due to its semi-retractable claws, the cheetah uses its tail as a rudder-like means of steering that enables it to make sharp turns, necessary to outflank antelopes which often change direction to escape during a chase. The protracted claws of the cheetah increase grip over the ground, while its paw pads make the sprint more convenient over tough ground. Less

The Golden eagle is sometimes considered the best flier among eagles and perhaps among all raptorial birds. It is equipped with broad, long wings with somewhat finger-like indentations on the tips of the wing. When diving after prey, it can reach 240 to 320 kilometers per hour (150 to 200 mph). Although less agile and maneuverable, the Golden eagle is apparently quite equal and possibly even superior to the Peregrine falcon's stooping and ...
gliding speeds. This makes the Golden eagle one of the two fastest living animals which uses its agility and speed combined with powerful feet and large, sharp talons to hunt a wide variety of prey. Less

The swifts belong to a family of highly aerial birds. They are among the fastest birds in level flight, and larger species like the White-throated needletail have been reported traveling at up to 169 km/h (105 mph). Even the Common swift can cruise at a maximum speed of 31 meters per second (112 km/h; 70 mph). In a single year the Common swift can cover at least 200,000 km, and in a lifetime, about 2 million kilometers; this is enough to fly to ...
the Moon and back five times over! Less

The Mexican free-tailed bat is regarded as one of the most abundant mammals in North America. It has been claimed to have the fastest horizontal speed (as opposed to stoop diving speed) of any animal, reaching top ground speeds over 101 mph (162 km/h); however, its actual air speed has not been measured. Mexican free-tailed bats are nocturnal foragers and begin feeding after dusk. They usually travel 50 km (31 miles) in one night to reach ...
foraging areas and also fly the highest among bats, at altitudes around 3300 m (10827 ft). Less

The pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, being built for maximum predator evasion through running. The top speed is dependent upon the length of time over which it is measured. It can run 56 km/h for 6 km (35 mph for 4 mi), 67 km/h for 1.6 km (42 mph for 1 mi), and 88.5 km/h for 0.8 km (55 mph for 0.5 mi). While it is often cited as the second-fastest land animal, second only to the African cheetah, it can sustain high ...
speeds longer than cheetahs. The pronghorn may have evolved its running ability to escape from now-extinct predators such as the American cheetah since its speed greatly exceeds that of all extant North American predators.  Compared to its body size, the pronghorn has a large windpipe, heart, and lungs to allow it to take in large amounts of air when running. Additionally, pronghorn hooves have two long, cushioned, pointed toes which help absorb shock when running at high speeds. These beautiful animals also have an extremely light bone structure and hollow hair. Less

The Common ostrich is distinctive in its appearance and has the fastest land speed of any bird. When being pursued by a predator, the bird may reach speeds in excess of 70 km/h (40 mph), or possibly 80 km/h (50 mph) and can maintain a steady speed of 50 km/h (30 mph) – this makes the Common ostrich the world's fastest two-legged animal. When lying down and hiding from predators, the bird lays its head and neck flat on the ground, making it ...
appear like a mound of earth from a distance, aided by the heat haze in its hot, dry habitat. When threatened, Common ostriches also run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs. They can often outrun most of their predators in pursuit, so most predators will try to ambush an unsuspecting ostrich using obstructing vegetation or other objects. Overall, due to their speed, vigilance, and possibly dangerous kick, ostriches are significantly avoided by most predators, including lions, leopards, wild dogs, and cheetahs. Less

Springbok are very fast antelopes, clocked at 88 km/h (55 mph). They are well-known for a practice called pronking (derived from the Afrikaans pronk, "to show off") or stotting in which they perform repeated high leaps of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) into the air. When the male shows off his strength to attract a mate, or to ward off predators, he starts off in a stiff-legged trot, leaping into the air with an arched back every few paces and lifting ...
the flap along his back. Although the exact cause of this behavior is unknown, springbok exhibit this activity when they are nervous or otherwise excited. The most accepted theory for pronking is that it is a method to raise alarm against a potential predator or confuse it, or get a better view of a concealed predator; it may also be used for display. Less

Pigeons are excellent fliers due to the lift provided by their large wings, which results in low wing loading; They are highly maneuverable in flight and have a low aspect ratio due to the width of their wings, allowing for quick flight launches and the ability to escape from predators, but at a high energy cost. These birds have been clocked flying 92.5 mph (148.9 km/h) average speed on a 400-mile (640 km) race. As pigeons are prey birds, they ...
must keep their vigilance, and when disturbed a pigeon within a flock will take off with a noisy clapping sound that cues for other pigeons to take to flight. The noise of the take-off increases the faster a pigeon beats its wings, thus advertising the magnitude of a perceived threat to its flockmates. Less

Wildebeest are extremely agile and wary animals that can run at speeds up to 80 km/h (50 mph), waving their tails and tossing their heads. They are also very strong animals. They can inflict considerable injury even to a lion. Their primary defensive tactic is herding, where the young animals are protected by the older, larger ones, while the herd runs as a group. Wildebeest often graze in mixed herds with zebra, which gives heightened awareness ...
of potential predators. They can also listen in on the alarm calls of other species, especially baboons and by doing so, can reduce their risk of predation. Less

Blackbucks can run at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph). The antelope are native to and found mainly in India. They were once widespread but only small, scattered herds are seen today, largely confined to protected areas. During the 20th century, blackbucks suffered greatly because of excessive hunting, deforestation, and habitat degradation. This graceful antelope species has significance in Hinduism; Indian and Nepali villagers do not ...
harm the antelope and tribes revere and care for most animals including the blackbuck. Less

These powerful flyers spend days and nights on the wing. Having the largest wing-area-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, frigatebirds are essentially aerial. This allows them to soar continuously and only rarely flap their wings. These birds are able to soar for weeks on wind currents and can fly higher than 4,000 meters in freezing conditions. Like swifts, they are able to spend the night on the wing, but they will also return to an island to ...
roost on trees or cliffs. Frigatebirds even bathe and clean themselves in flight; to do so they fly low and splash at the water surface before preening and scratching afterward. Interestingly, frigatebirds do not swim and with their short legs cannot walk well or take off from the sea easily. Less

The stated speed of Anna's hummingbird equals 276 body lengths per second, the highest known length-specific velocity attained by any vertebrate. These tiny birds can reach up to 98.27 km/h (61.06 mph)! They are frequently seen in backyards and parks, and commonly found at feeders and flowering plants. Anna's hummingbirds eat not only nectar from flowers but also catch flying insects. They can shake their bodies 55 times per second to shed rain ...
while in flight, or in dry weather, to remove pollen or dirt from feathers. Each twist lasts four-hundredths of a second and applies 34 times the force of gravity on the bird's head. Less

Although European hares are nocturnal and shy in nature, they are very quick and can run at 70 km/h (43 mph), and when confronted by predators rely on outrunning them in the open. European hares are generally thought to be asocial but they can gather in large and small groups. They prefer to forage in groups because group feeding is beneficial; individuals can spend more time feeding knowing that other hares are being vigilant. In the spring, ...
European hares also often chase one another in broad daylight around in fields. During this spring frenzy, they sometimes strike one another with their paws ("boxing"). This is usually females hitting males, either to show they are not yet ready to mate or to test males’ determination. Less

Lions are fast and skillful hunters but they run quickly only in short bursts at about 48-59 km/h (30-37 mph) and need to be close to their prey before starting the attack. However, one study in 2018 recorded a lion running at a top speed of 74.1 km/h (46.0 mph). The attack of these predators is short and powerful; they attempt to catch prey with a fast rush and final leap. Young lions first stalk their prey at around three months of age, ...
although they do not participate in hunting until they are almost a year old; they begin to hunt effectively when nearing the age of two. Single lions are capable of bringing down zebra and wildebeest, but won’t risk attacking larger prey like buffalo and giraffe alone. Less

Guanacos are one of the largest terrestrial mammals native to today's South America. They live in herds composed of females, their young, and a dominant male. When they feel threatened, guanacos alert the herd to flee with a high-pitched, bleating call. The male usually runs behind the herd to defend them. They can run up to 64 km/h (40 mph), often over steep and rocky terrain. This speed is important for the survival of guanacos because they ...
cannot easily hide in the open grasslands, scrublands, and mountainous regions. Less

Perenties are generally considered the fastest recorded reptiles being able to reach the speed of 40.23 km/h (25.00 mph). They are fast sprinters and can run using either all four legs or just their hind legs. Perenties either freeze (lying flat on the ground, and remaining very still until the danger has passed) or run if detected. If cornered, these powerful carnivores stand their ground and use their arsenal of claws, teeth, and whip-like ...
tails to defend themselves. The bite of a perentie can do much damage, not only from the teeth but also because of the oral secretions. Less