What is the fastest animal in the world? Most people think of cheetahs. In fact, the speed of cheetahs is nothing compared to the first place. The fastest speed of the first place can reach 389 kilometers, that is, the speed reaches 108 meters per second, which can kill most supercars in one second. The speed of a sports car, can you guess which animal is the first? Did you know that faster animals exist?
20. African wild dog
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 60 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 72 kilometers per hour
Speed type: sprint
Location: Africa
The African wild dog is one of the fastest mammals in the world, having evolved to cope with extreme speed and heat. Their unusual round ears help keep them cool and reduce drag when running.
Fun fact: Wild dogs are very social, living in packs of up to 27 animals. Group members look after each other, bringing food to injured companions just like humans.
19. Yellowfin Tuna
Category: Fish
Average speed: 20 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 80 kilometers per hour
Speed type: continuous shooting speed
Location: Equatorial waters of the three oceans
When you typically see tuna in a can, it's hard to picture it as a fast animal. But yellowfin tuna is actually one of the fastest sea animals. It swims quite slowly, but tuna can quickly shift into high gear when chased by a predator.
The key to their speed is that they are warm-blooded, an unusual trait among fish. Tuna also fold their fins into grooves that combine with two rows of small, stabilizing finlets to turn their bodies into living, breathing, predator-evading missiles.
18. Black Antelope
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 45 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 80 kilometers per hour
Speed type: sprint type, but high endurance
Location: India
Habitat: Grassy plains, light forests, constant water source
The blackbuck is the fastest land animal in India. That's why it is also called Indian antelope. Blackbucks live in the grassy plains and forests of southern Asia. Their incredible speed and long strides of nearly 4 meters help them avoid predators.
Unfortunately, one of their natural enemies can outwit them: humans. Blackbucks are popular targets for trophy hunters because of their beautiful horns.
17. European Hare
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 55 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 80 kilometers per hour
Location: Europe
There are several types of hares, and the European hare is generally considered the fastest land mammal in Europe. They look a lot like rabbits, but they are more robust.
Unlike rabbits, hares live outdoors rather than in burrows. Speed is this prey's first line of defense if it's not possible to hide in a hole for safety.
16. Lion
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 55 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 80 kilometers per hour
Speed Type: Burst Speed, Ambush
Location: Africa, Asia
Habitat: Grassland, savanna
Lions generally prefer larger prey to smaller prey, and they prefer to hunt free animals in open spaces. They will only chase livestock if food is scarce in their area. For example, farmers in Cameroon report that lions only feed on cattle and goats during the rainy season when they cannot find food elsewhere.
They're built for power and short bursts of speed, not long pursuits. Since they can't run fast for very long, they need to get as close as possible to their prey before approaching it. They are one of the fastest animals in Africa and the largest predator on the continent.
15. Blue wildebeest
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 60 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 80 kilometers per hour
Speed of use: Escape from threats, protect, migrate
Location: Southern and Eastern Africa
Habitat: Short-grass plains, adjacent to acacia savannah
Like antelopes and gazelles, wildebeests are considered a delicacy by some of the fastest and hungriest predators, especially lions. Because of this, speed is crucial to the wildebeest's survival.
They are known for their poor eyesight, but can easily keep up with lions once they realize they are being followed. They are also better at running long distances than lions, and they practice their marathon skills during their annual migrations.
14. Thomson's gazelle
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 64 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 80 kilometers per hour
Speed type: agility, endurance
Location: East Africa
Habitat: Savannahs and grasslands
Gazelles are smaller than most people think, but these little animals can reach a top speed of about 80 km/h in less than 20 seconds, and according to some reports they may be able to reach speeds of 95 km/h.
Although the gazelle is much slower than the cheetah, it is still one of the fastest land animals, and it has a major advantage over long distances. If it can hide from a hungry cheetah long enough, the big cat will tire and give up. Because escape is important to their survival, Thomson's gazelles are experts at mobility.
13. Springbok
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 55 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 88 kilometers per hour
Speed of use: Escape from predators
Location: Southern and Southwest Africa
Habitat: Open plains, arid areas
Of all the antelopes on Earth, springboks are probably the most beautiful. Its slender body and long, slightly curved horns are particularly eye-catching. The herbivore's top speed is about 88 km/h, similar to other antelopes, but the springbok has a better jumping ability than many similar creatures.
Fun fact: The springbok has a special flap on its rear end that retracts and exposes its white crest when it senses danger.
12. Pronghorn
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 55 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 88 kilometers per hour
Use Speed: Predator Dodge
Location: Western North America
Habitat: open areas
Pronghorn is a type of antelope and one of the cheetah's favorite foods. However, pronghorns do not give in easily to cheetahs. Avoiding apex predators is basically their life's work. Each pronghorn has a different top speed, but most of them are comparable to cheetahs.
The pronghorn has a big, powerful heart and large eyes that can see 320 degrees. This helps them see the cheetah in time to put some distance between them. Cheetahs may be the fastest land animals, but pronghorns have the advantage over long distances.
11. Quarter Horse
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 60 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 88 kilometers per hour
Location: North America
Habitat: Mountain grassland
The Quarter Horse is a fast sprinter and is often considered the fastest horse breed. The Quarter Horse actually got its name from its ability to beat other horses in races of less than 400 meters.
They don't have the same advantage over long distances, but they do have extraordinary acceleration capabilities.
10. Swordfish
Category: Fish
Average speed: 64 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 96 kilometers per hour
Location: All over the world’s oceans
Habitat: Water temperature is about 20 degrees
Swordfish are super-fast marine animals that can grow to nearly 3 meters in length and can reach speeds comparable to cars on the highway. What's the secret to their speed? Oil. Swordfish have an unusual gland that takes up a large portion of their upper jaw, helping to reduce drag and make it easier to catch their favorite prey.
They also have organs near their eyes that keep their brains at a normal temperature as they swim through icy waters.
9. Ostrich
Category: Birds
Average speed: 72 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 96 kilometers per hour
They've been known to bury their heads in the sand when they're scared, and they look downright silly with their large, awkward bodies and long necks. Ostriches cannot fly, but they are surprisingly good sprinters.
They can maintain speeds of over 70 kilometers per hour for dozens of kilometers, making them one of the fastest land animals on Earth. Pitch an ostrich against Usain Bolt in a marathon and the ostrich will win handily. Fun fact: Ostriches are the only birds that secrete urine and feces separately.
8. Sailfish
Category: fish
Top speed: 110 kilometers per hour
Speed type: continuous shooting speed
Use of speed: hunting, dodging
Location: Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean
Habitat: Temperate, tropical areas
Sailfish look like a giant fish giving birth to a spear-laden baby. It's notoriously difficult to compare the fastest aquatic animals, and some believe that swordfish is actually the fastest.
They can reach 3 meters in length and weigh more than 100 pounds. Sailfish are named for their huge sail-like dorsal fin, which makes them particularly good at swimming quickly over short distances.
7. Cheetah
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 50 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 122 kilometers per hour
Use of Speed: Hunting, Stalking and Ambush
Location: Africa, Asia
Habitat: Various habitats from savannas to arid mountains
Cheetahs are generally believed to be the fastest animals in the world. That's not true, but they are one of the fastest land animals. Take one look at a cheetah and you'll understand why it runs so well. It's built like an Olympic sprinter: lithe, slender, with long, thin legs.
Everything about the cheetah contributes to its speed. The signature black stripes running down its face help reduce the sun's glare, while the cheetah's claws help this powerful cat grip the ground while running.
6. Mexican free-tailed bat
Category: Mammals
Average speed: 40 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 170 kilometers per hour
Usage speed: hunting
Location: Central or Southern United States, Central America, South America
Habitat: Mainly caves
The Mexican free-tailed bat is not a bird, but it is still one of the fastest flying animals in the world. It can dive at about 170 km/h, or fly through the night sky at 100 km/h when driven by a tailwind.
These creepy little creatures are also built for endurance. When they are looking for food, they can easily fly up to 170 kilometers straight to find it. Most of them live in Texas, where some colonies consist of more than 20 million bats.
5. Red-tailed Hawk
Top speed: 190 km/h
Speed type: high speed dive
Use of speed: hunting, fighting for prey
Location: Throughout North America
Habitat: A wide range of habitats such as deserts, grasslands, forests, urban areas
The red-tailed hawk is a bird of prey that breeds across much of North America, from interior Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of the genus Buteo in North America or worldwide. The red-tailed hawk is one of three species known colloquially as "chicken hawks" in the United States, although it rarely preys on full-size chickens.
This bird is sometimes called a red-tailed bird simply, when the meaning is clear from the context. The red-tailed hawk is adaptable to all biomes within its range, occurring on the edges of non-ideal habitats such as dense forests, and generally prefers a variety of habitats in open woodlands, woodland edges, and open terrain.
4. Gyrfalcon
Top speed: 209 km/h
Speed type: high speed dive
Use of Speed: Hunting
Location: North America, Siberia
Habitat: Tundra, mountains, sea ice
With a wingspan of up to 1.2 meters, the Gyrfalcon is the largest falcon ever discovered. Due to their large size, gyrfalcons are apex predators. Not many animals would dare try to shoot it down, except for its celestial rival, the golden eagle.
In a dive, these birds can reach incredible speeds, but they generally prefer to avoid dives, choosing instead to catch prey in sustained flight. Fun fact: To cool down and stay clean, they like to bathe in melting ice water.
3. Wang Buzzard
Top speed: 241 km/h
Speed type: high speed dive
Location: Western North America
Habitat: Arid and semi-arid grasslands
The Wang buzzard's flight is very active, and its wings beat very slowly, much like a small eagle. It has been noted that the wing remains soared with strong dihedral angle, as well as the wing remains flat or modified dihedral glide. Hovering over the ground and cruising at low altitudes are also used as hunting techniques. Some observers describe the wing beat as "smooth."
The king buzzard mainly preys on small and medium-sized mammals, but it also preys on birds, reptiles and some insects. Mammals typically account for 80-90% of the prey or biomass in the diet, with birds being the next most common mass component. Diets vary geographically, depending on the distribution of prey species, but where the king buzzard's ranges overlap, black-tailed jackrabbits are the dominant food species along with ground squirrels and pocket gophers.
2. Golden Eagle
Category: Birds
Average speed: 50 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 322 kilometers per hour
Speed type: high speed dive
Use of Speed: Hunting
Location: Throughout the Northern Hemisphere
The golden eagle is one of the fastest flying animals on earth. This majestic bird can dive at speeds in excess of 240 km/h, occasionally reaching a top speed of 322 km/h.
Golden eagles also have the strongest grip of all birds of prey. They raise their young in giant nests that average 1.8 meters wide, but the largest nest ever recorded was over 2.4 meters!
1. Peregrine Falcon
Category: Birds
Average speed: 80 kilometers per hour
Top speed: 389 kilometers per hour
Speed type: high speed dive
Use of Speed: Hunting
Location: Worldwide, except Antarctica and Antarctica
Habitat: Preferred wide open areas
No other creature on Earth has been discovered that can fly across the sky as quickly as the peregrine falcon. It can soar at about 80 km/h using wing power alone, but when it dives, its speed can quadruple, reaching 389 km/h if it dives at high speed.
It first climbs to a great height. When it spots prey, it fearlessly plummets to the ground. It is also one of the most adaptable birds, able to thrive even in busy cities.
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