What are the fastest animals on Earth?
The peregrine falcon's hunting dive exceeds 240 mph, making it faster than most race cars.
The answer
Speed records in the animal kingdom vary by medium and mode of movement. The peregrine falcon holds the absolute speed record, reaching over 240 mph (386 km/h) in its hunting stoop (dive). On land, the cheetah sprints at up to 70 mph (112 km/h), accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in about 3 seconds, faster than most sports cars. In water, the black marlin can reach 80 mph (129 km/h). Among invertebrates, the trap-jaw ant closes its mandibles at 145 mph, and the mantis shrimp strikes with its club at 50 mph, fast enough to create cavitation bubbles. The fastest relative to body size is the Southern California mite, covering 322 body lengths per second.
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology
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- animal records
- peregrine falcon
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