A fast land animal. The fastest animal in the world

Animals are some of the most amazing and beautiful creatures living on our planet. Graceful and dangerous predators, gentle and timid herbivores - very often the eternal and irreconcilable dispute between them about who will survive today is decided not by strength and size, but by speed. Do you know what the fastest animal in the world is? You will learn the answer to this question from our article, and also get acquainted with the names and habits of other fastest animals in the world, which can easily compete in speed with the king of nature - man.

Do you want to know what it might be? Then be sure to read our other article, also located on this site.

Cheetah is the fastest animal in the world

Our record holder among animals is, without a doubt, the fastest animal in the world - the cheetah. He can rightfully be considered a champion, because the speed of the fastest animal in the world can reach 140 km/h! She helps him get food for himself and his cubs, because in those parts of Africa where the fastest animals in the world live, there are no bushes, tall grass or other shelters. Therefore, they do not have the opportunity to wait for their prey in shelter. The wildebeest, hares and gazelles that these animals feed on are only available to them if the cheetahs can catch up with them.

Cheetahs are incredibly beautiful and graceful animals. Their color is usually sandy yellow with small black inclusions in the form of spots and stripes, and sometimes you can also find a black cheetah. All of them are not too large - the weight of an adult individual is from forty to sixty-five kilograms, so among African cats the fastest animals in the world are considered to be the smallest.

Cheetahs have been tamed by people for a long time and were even used for hunting by eastern princes. True, the price of a well-trained cheetah was extremely high - after all, the fastest animals in the world very rarely breed in captivity, so in order to raise a good hunter, he had to be caught while still a kitten.

You can read about that in the article on our website.

Top 10 fastest animals in the world: animal world record holders

We already know who ranks first among animals in terms of speed and is deservedly considered the fastest animal in the world. But does the cheetah have rivals who can compete with it in speed? Now we will find out.

Pronghorn antelope

The pronghorn antelope or simply pronghorn deservedly takes second place in our list of the fastest animals in the world, because its speed can reach 100 km/h! This is how she escapes from numerous predators. The pronghorn itself feeds various plants, sometimes poisonous, as well as young bushes.

Externally, the pronghorn looks like a roe deer, only thinner and more graceful. This antelope got its name for unusual shape horns - their tips are directed towards each other and slightly inward. By the way, both males and females of this species have horns, although in the latter they are quite small and rarely grow larger than the ears.

Wildebeest

The wildebeest looks completely different from its predecessor, the pronghorn antelope. The weight of a wildebeest can reach two hundred kilograms, and its face is more like that of a yak or a cow, and even has a mane and beard. True, this does not affect speed at all - when running away from predators, herds of these animals can run about 80 km/h, so they can confidently take third place in the list of the fastest animals in the world!

There are two subspecies of this antelope - blue and white-tailed. The sounds the wildebeest makes resemble a low, nasal grunt.

Lion

And here comes the king of beasts, the fastest of the cats after the cheetah, because in pursuit of prey he easily reaches speeds of up to 80 km/h. Appearance and the habits of a lion are probably known to everyone, but its ability to mate with other cats and produce offspring may come as a surprise to many.

A lion successfully crosses with a tiger (in this case, the offspring are called ligers or tigrolves), a jaguar (the children are called jagulvas) and a leopard (the offspring from such a union are called leopons). There are many zoos in the world where these amazing animals are kept.

Thomson's Gazelle

This gazelle is very miniature - its weight is within twenty-eight kilograms. It received its name in honor of the world-famous Scot, African explorer Joseph Thomson. Despite its light weight, it keeps up with the lion in speed and can run up to 80 km/h.

Kulan

Kulan is translated as “invincible” or “fast”. And it fully justifies both of these definitions - the speed of the kulan can reach 70 km/h. And it can be considered invincible due to the fact that there has never been a case where a kulan was tamed by a person.

Outwardly, this animal resembles an ordinary donkey, its color is yellowish, and it runs along its back. black stripe. Kulans belong to the horse family.

Elk

Finally, it was the turn of the northern representative of the fleet-footed moose! He can be quite proud of his speed - not every animal in the world reaches 72 km/h! Repeatedly, people tried to tame moose and make them riding or dairy animals, but almost always retreated, since moose are very demanding and difficult to keep.

By the way, there are currently two famous moose farms in the world, one in the Kostroma region, and the other in the Pechoro-Ilychsky reserve. Moose milk is considered medicinal and tastes like cow milk.

Coyote

Coyote is an inhabitant of North America and was even considered a deity among its indigenous inhabitants, bearing the name Trickster and distinguished by his mischievous character. When running, a coyote easily reaches 65 km/h, which allows it to hunt raccoons, badgers and other small animals.

The coyote itself is also not distinguished by its large build - its height at the withers is only fifty centimeters, and its weight is about twenty kilograms. Usually these animals live in pairs, although they are often found alone.

Gray fox

Gray fox- a very beautiful and graceful animal. It differs from its red relative in having shorter legs and gray fur with the addition of red and black colors. The gray fox's muzzle is decorated with black stripes, which makes it even more attractive.

The running speed of this animal reaches 65 km/h. Gray foxes have only one partner and live in pairs with him, giving birth to four to ten cubs every year. Its fur is considered very valuable because of its extreme softness.

Hyena

Hyenas are predators, so they need quick feet. Their running speed often reaches 60 km/h. The color of the skin varies from gray to sandy yellow, and there are small patches throughout the body. dark spots. These animals can be found both in Africa and in Eurasia.

You will find out the name of the person who installed the absolute if you read our article on the same site.

So, now the names of the fastest animals in the world are no secret to you. We hope that our article will help you become more erudite and encourage you to strive to learn new things!

This is not the first article about the fastest animals on the planet. We have previously written about the fastest animals living on land and the most fast birds cutting through the airspace. The main thing that was emphasized was the speed due to which animals turn into successful “hunters”, but also many of them get a chance to escape from these same “hunters”.

The special structure of the skeleton and the strength of the limbs make many animals the fastest land creatures, and in principle this also applies to feathered friends, who, in addition to everything listed above, also skillfully use air currents. But what about the inhabitants of the water spaces? What does the title of “fastest animal” living in the ocean, sea or fresh water allow them to learn?

Sailfish

Sailfish (lat. Istiophorus platypterus) is the fastest fish in the world. An inhabitant of tropical and subtropical seas and oceans, it is also found in the Black Sea, where it comes from Indian Ocean. This fish was included in the Guinness Book of Records due to its unique structure (characteristic dorsal fin) and the enormous speed that the sailboat can reach up to 100-109 km/h. The speed was proven in tests conducted in Florida (USA). The length of the sailboat can be up to 3.5 m, weight - 100 kg.

Atlantic blue marlin

Atlantic blue marlin (lat. Makaira nigricans) belongs to the sailfish family. Although they don't have such a huge dorsal fin like sailboats, but in speed they are almost not inferior to them. This fish grows up to 4-5 m, weighs about 800 kg, but it can easily outrun many types of sharks, and other inhabitants too. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 85 km/h. It should be noted that images of marlin are on the coats of arms of the Bahamas and Seychelles, it was also this fish that the hero of Ernest Hemingway’s work “The Old Man and the Sea” hunted.

Atlantic mackerel

Not everyone knows the fact that one of the most popular commercial fish, namely the Atlantic mackerel (lat. Scomber scombrus) is capable of developing incredible speeds - 75-80 km/h! It is at this speed that mackerel can swim during spawning or when making a cast. Mackerel inhabitant warm seas: Mediterranean, Marble and Black. During summer migrations it swims to the Baltic, Beloye, Northern and Barents Sea. It feeds on zooplankton and small fish.

Atlantic bluefin tuna

Atlantic bluefin tuna (lat. Thunnus thynnus) is a species on the verge of extinction. According to the latest data, its number is about 6-7%. It is also one of the fastest fish on the planet. Tuna can swim at speeds of up to 75 km/h. Bluefin tuna is a warm-blooded fish and lives in the Barents Sea and Greenland waters, as well as in more warm waters Gulf of Mexico and Indian Ocean. It grows to impressive sizes: more than 4 meters in length and weighing more than 500 kilograms.

Yellowfin tuna

Yellowfin tuna (lat. Thunnus albacares) is slightly inferior to its relative, both in size and speed. Its length can be about 2-2.5 m, weight - 200 kg. This large fish can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h. The yellowfin tuna got its name from its bright yellow fins (dorsal and anal), as well as from the longitudinal white-yellow stripes on its body.

Blue or blue shark

Blue or blue shark (lat. Prionace glauca), aka mokoi, is the most common shark in the world. This is a fairly large shark; its body length can reach 4 meters and weigh about 200 kg. The speed that this predator can reach is about 65-68 km/h. The blue shark feeds on cephalopods, bony fish, crustaceans and even small sharks, whales and seabirds.

White-winged porpoise

White-winged porpoise (lat. Phocoenoides dalli), also known as the Dall's porpoise, is a predator that can grow up to 1.8-2 meters. Lives in groups - up to 20-30 individuals. Can swim at a speed of just over 56-60 km/h. In pursuit of prey, it is capable of diving to depths of up to 500 meters. Hunts mainly at night.

Atlantic tarpon

Atlantic tarpon (lat. Megalops atlanticus) – big fish, reminiscent of herring, but tarpon has nothing in common with it. Tarpon does not apply commercial fish, but their meat is used for food. They catch tarpon with a line, as this fish is found in shallow waters and off the coast. Maximum speed The speed at which tarpon can swim is 56 km/h. When the tarpon lacks oxygen, it quickly jumps out of the water to take a breath of air.

killer whale

Killer whale (lat. Orcinus orca). flickr/Kingdom Animalia

Killer whale (lat. Orcinus orca) is one of the most large mammals living in the World Ocean. It is capable of reaching speeds of up to 55 km/h. She needs this speed to hunt various sea animals. Speed and intelligence make him a formidable and dangerous predator.

Tiger shark

Tiger shark (lat. Galeocerdo cuvier) – predatory fish with a large mouth and sharp slanted teeth. Thanks to this structure of the teeth, the shark easily deals with the turtle shell. Speed sea turtles does not exceed 35 km/h, and is capable of reaching speeds of up to 55 km/h. At this speed, catching up with the turtle is not difficult. Then why does she need such high speed? Probably in order to avoid becoming a victim of a larger predator herself.

As we see, in the waters of the World Ocean, speed is simply necessary both for the predator and for the one who wants to get away from the predator. Everything in this world is relative: today you hunt, and tomorrow they will hunt you.

A person needs running to maintain good health. physical fitness or to achieve certain results in sports. Animals simply need to be able to run fast in order to feed themselves and protect themselves from predators. Despite the fact that people are the most smart creatures on Earth, they cannot boast of the speed and agility of many animals on the planet.

All living organisms adapt to certain living conditions. Some merge with environment, skillfully hiding from enemies, others develop amazing abilities to avoid death from the teeth of a predator or to catch prey. There are many speed record holders. So who runs the fastest in the world?

Cheetah

The fastest animal in the world is the cheetah. It can easily reach speeds of up to 115 km/h. These indicators are vital for the animal to hunt. To protect the remains of its prey from other representatives of the animal world, the cheetah cleverly hides them in a tree.

This beast is capable of developing such stunning speed due to its anatomical features. He has a small head and powerful muscles. The weight of the animal is 45–67 kg with a body length of 1–1.5 m. Ease of movement is ensured by a graceful appearance.

When hunting, a cheetah, without hiding much, approaches the prey at a distance of about ten meters. Then, in a short run, it tries to catch prey. In 2 seconds the animal reaches a speed of 75 km/h. Moves the most fast beast in the world with jumps up to 8 meters long.

Pronghorn

Next in the ranking of the fastest animals on the planet is a pronghorn, easily accelerating to 95 km/h. This antelope is not only the fastest, but also the oldest, living in North America. The unique abilities of ungulates are associated with the presence of certain characteristics:

Thanks to large sizes, the respiratory system absorbs a significant amount of air, and the soft pads on the fingers prevent shock.

Pronghorns are graceful and beautiful animals with a shoulder height of -0.8–1 m. The body length of an adult is 1–1.3 m, weight ranges from 35–60 kg.

Antelopes got their name due to the presence of branched thick horns in the males in the form of a fork. Every year, the pronghorn sheds its horny sheaths, which gradually grow back.

Elk

The opinion that the fastest animals on earth are predators is incorrect. Record-breaking runners include elk is the largest of the entire family deer Its body height is 2.5 m, and its weight reaches 700 kg. The animal has huge horns on its head with a span of up to 200 centimeters. Their weight exceeds 30 kg.

These giants live in Russia, America and Europe. They feed on grass, moss, tree bark and berries. Despite their rather impressive size, moose are excellent swimmers and excellent runners. Their speed can reach 70 km/m.

Lion

One of the leading positions in the rankings of the fastest animals on Earth is the lion. During the hunt it can accelerate to 80 km/h, so I consider it a dangerous and deadly predator. Interesting fact is that females demonstrate greater activity, so the main task of driving the prey is assigned to them. However, animals are capable of fast movement only for short distances.

American horse

Currently, English thoroughbred racing horses are the fastest. Great sprinters, they constantly participate in races. The horse's maximum speed is 77 km/h. At a short distance, representatives of this breed show excellent results.

American Quarterhors - this is the name given to this agile and strong animal. The height of this handsome horse is 144–162 cm. The color of the horses varies. Horses have a special body structure that allows them to achieve stunning results on the hippodrome:

muscular croup;
wide short head;
compact body with a wide chest.

Prairie wolves - coyotes

Coyotes are members of the canid family. These animals live in America, living in deserts and plains. More active at night. Eating meadow wolves small rodents. They are significantly smaller in size than ordinary wolves. But with a height of about 90 cm, coyotes can run at speeds of up to 65 km/h.

These animals prefer to hunt alone and unite in packs only in rare cases when searching for large prey. They have unique abilities and have well-developed sense organs. Coyotes can see up to 200 meters at any time of day. Thanks to their excellent vision, they easily track down prey; the voice of a mammal cannot be confused with anyone else.

Small but fast

Nature has made sure that small furry animals can ensure their safety.

Brown hare. Can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h when running short distances. And such results are achieved when average weight body 4–6 kg and length 58–68 cm. Cunning, agile animals can lull the vigilance of any predator. Fleeing, the brown hare moves from side to side, waiting until the pursuer has exhausted all his reserves of strength.
The fastest cats. Among domestic cats, the fastest is the shorthaired Egyptian Mau. She has a dense build and fairly developed muscles and bones, providing endurance and agility. U pet vision, hearing and smell are superbly developed. The cat can reach speeds of up to 58 km/h. Representatives of this breed are impressive with their behavior. They avoid conflicts and are not the first to get into a fight. Males can live with one female for years and help care for the kittens.

Fastest animals in water

High speed of movement is not limited to land animals. Representatives water world may also lay claim to the title of the fastest animal on the planet. Despite the fact that they live in a dense and viscous environment, they still manage to show amazing results in developing the speed of movement. Which waterfowl is the fastest on earth?

Fastest animals in the air

Undoubtedly, the most agile, nimble and fastest birds on our planet are birds. They are significantly ahead of both aquatic and land representatives of the animal world.

Based on the flight characteristics of birds, it is difficult to determine which of the birds is the fastest. After all, some of them develop maximum speed when they “dive”, others - when they soar horizontally.

Peregrine Falcon. This falcon is the king of pickets. It rises high into the sky above the flying victim and, folding its wings, rushes at it from above, striking it with its paws pressed to its body. When falling at an angle of 25 degrees, this beautiful bird flies at speeds of up to 75 m/s. Falling at a right angle, the peregrine falcon can reach significantly higher speeds of up to 100 m/s (about 360 km/h).
Grey-headed albatross, unlike the peregrine falcon, cannot dive during high-speed flight. But the huge span of its wings allows it to maintain a flight speed of 130 km/h for 8 hours. These birds spend most of their time in the ocean, hunting fish and crayfish. They don't even disdain carrion.
Black swifts are in the sky 24 hours a day. They eat, sleep and mate in the sky while flying. These small beautiful birds have a body length of 25 centimeters. At the same time, they can reach a flight speed of up to 180 km/h, thanks to which they quickly and skillfully escape from predators. However, black swifts are not as nimble as swallows, with which ornithologists often confuse them, and they have to make a greater turn to turn.

It’s hard to believe, but there are animals that are capable of reaching speeds comparable to a moped, truck or even a car. In fact, there are not so few such representatives of the fauna. In this article we will find out what the fastest animal on the planet is and determine the top ten leaders in speed. Let's look at our top 10 in reverse order.

10. Lasting on the list is a coyote. This animal is capable of developing up to 70 km/h and can adapt to different conditions, and therefore can be found in mountains, steppes, deserts and other places. When it comes to food, coyotes will eat just about anything, from newts to jackrabbits. They do not disdain carrion.

9. The gray fox runs at speeds of up to 71 km/h and is in ninth place in the “Fastest Animals on the Planet” ranking. She is a representative of the Canidae family. Compared to the red fox, it is much less common. Interesting feature The animal's ability to move along tree branches is its ability.

8. As practice shows, the fastest animals are not always predators who need to catch up with their prey. The maximum speed of a moose is 73 km/h, which allows it to easily escape from bears and wolves, which move much slower. The animal always lives in herd conditions.

7. accelerates to 74 km/h and is also known as the “African wild dog”. It can be found exclusively on the African continent, both in savannas and wooded areas. The animal is quite rare and hunts in packs. At the same time, hyena dogs never intimidate or drive their prey before killing it.

6. The rating “The fastest animals” is difficult to imagine without lions. Their males are mainly engaged in protecting the territory, and the females are directly involved in hunting. They attack, as a rule, only by creeping a short distance to the victim. The caught prey is first eaten by the lions, then by the cubs, and only at the very end by the lioness. Despite the fact that the animal reaches speeds of up to 74 km/h, they only have enough endurance for a short distance.

5. In fifth place is the riding horse. Its speed is 75 km/h.

4. The fastest animals on the planet do not necessarily have a plastic body and modest parameters. A clear confirmation of this is the wildebeest, which, being large, can accelerate to 88 km/h. They constantly migrate and can cover a distance of up to 1,600 kilometers in a year.

3. Pronghorn is capable of breaking away from most predators at even half its speed. On average, its speed is about 60 km/h, and the recorded record is 88.5 km/h.

2. In second place in the ranking is the springbok, which is one of the varieties of antelope. The animal lives mainly in Africa. One of its distinctive abilities is the ability to jump to a height of up to 3 meters. As for its speed, it is 90 km/h.

1. The fastest animal in the world is the cheetah. Compared to other representatives, it has a more modest weight, ranging from 70 to 140 kg. This predator is capable of accelerating up to 120 km/h, while taking 9-meter steps every quarter of a second. As for the distance of such races, it reaches 300 meters. He eats exclusively in tall grass or near trees so that other cats cannot see him. It should be noted that, being able to develop such a creature, it is vulnerable to lions and tigers, since it has thin bones, as well as small jaws and teeth.

For you and me, running is necessary only for sports or maintaining good physical shape, but for the animal world, running is necessary to survive, or vice versa, to feed ourselves. And it’s really interesting, how fast are they? We offer a small selection - the fastest animals of our Mother Earth.

The most fast cat– cheetah

The fastest ground

The fastest animal in the world is the cheetah; for it, a speed of 100 km/h is not the limit. But such speeds require enormous amounts of energy, so the cat will not run far. The lightning attack lasts several seconds, otherwise the animal's heart will stop.

In second place is the cheetah's prey - the wildebeest.

Wildebeest

These animals prefer to stay in a herd, and when migrating they move 50 km/h. But if they are in danger, then a huge herd of up to 500 heads rushes at speeds of up to 90 km/h. Grant's graceful gazelles can reach approximately the same running speeds.

Grant's Gazelle

Lions are also capable of running up to 70 km/h, but they are lazy, preferring to rest in the shade of trees while slower lionesses hunt.

Hyena dogs can afford high speeds over long distances. Their light weight prevents the body from overheating, and they drive the victim to exhaustion at speeds of up to 70 km/h.

wild dog

When it comes to pets, the fastest dog in the world is the Greyhound, but opinions vary and many believe it is the English Hunting Hound.

Hunting greyhound

For them on short distance speed of 55 km/h is not difficult. Their domestic cat is the fastest Egyptian Mau, their limit is 50 km/h.

The fastest bird is the peregrine falcon.

Peregrine Falcon

This predator in a diving flight is capable of reaching unimaginable speeds - over 300 km/h. This is the fastest living creature in the world.

underwater world

It would seem that the density of water will not allow it to develop such speeds, but the sailfish at the moment of attack develops it up to 100 km/h.

Sailfish

Among waterfowl, the record belongs to the leatherback turtle, whose speed reaches 35 km/h.

The fastest turtle

Other speed residents underwater world can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h. These include sharks, killer whales, tuna, mackerel, and the like.

World of insects

In their microcosm, speeds are relative. So the American cockroach can run up to 5 km/h, the speed at which we walk.

American cockroach

But if we translate this speed into our dimensions, it will be at least 300 km/h! This is a record for terrestrial insects. But among the flying ones, the dragonfly is considered the fastest, capable of flying at a speed of 55 km/h.

Dragonfly

They are only slightly inferior to horseflies and hawk moths.