There are millions of different species of animal that live on this beautiful green Earth,
but which one is the fastest?
You might think it’s the cheetah, but you’d be surprised to know it’s not.
Today we’re looking at the Fastest Animals on Earth.
10.
Brown Hare
The Brown Hare, or European hare is native to Europe and parts of Asia and is one of
the largest species of hare on the planet.
They are herbivorous and use those foods to fuel their high speed endurance to run away
from their predators.
These hares have been known to reach speeds of 77kmh or 48mph, and they have been known
to partake in “boxing matches” between males and females.
Usually, it’s the females fighting the males away.
The females will initiate a chase when mating season begins called “March Madness,”
and whichever male is still standing after the race wins the girl.
This species of hare is the inspiration for the March Hare in “Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland,” and possibly the same hare in Aesop’s Fable, “The Tortoise and the
Hare.”
9.
Blue Wildebeest
This large species of antelope is one of two species of wildebeests.
Both sexes grow horns, and are found in the planes of Angola, Kenya, Mozambique, South
Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The wildebeest is also called a gnu, and they live in large herds of anywhere from 10 to
1,000 members.
The top speed of a wildebeest is 80kmh or 50 miles an hour, which helps them escape
their predators including lions, leopards, African wild dogs, and hyenas.
There are strange looking creatures, with the body of a bull, legs of an antelope, and
the tail of a horse.
The name “blue” comes from the silver-blue sheen of their coats.
Wildebeests are active both during the day and at night looking for food.
They have a bellow that is so loud it can travel up to 1.24 miles or 2 km.
During migration season, the wildebeest travels in herds with Zebras and Thompson’s Gazelles
who benefit off of each other by sharing the same kind of preferred grass.
8.
Anna’s Hummingbird
What do you call a group of Hummingbirds?
How about a glittering?
A bouquet, a hover, a shimmer, a tune, and even a charm of hummingbirds are all correct
ways to refer to these flying pieces-of-jewelry-like creatures.
Hummingbirds are the smallest species of bird on earth, and Anna’s tend to be more vocal
than your average hummingbird.
What makes this particular bird so impressive is it’s mating ritual.
A male Anna’s hummingbird will attract a female by flashing his iridescent feathers
around the head and neck.
Once he’s got her attention, he climbs to nearly 100 feet in the air, and makes a spectacular
and incredibly fast dive, locking its wings against his body and plummeting himself to
the ground.
Seemingly at the last minute, he opens his wings and tail feathers, impressing the girl
and making a very special sound.
When the tail feathers open, it causes them to vibrate and make a chirping noise.
This lets the female know he’s worthy of her.
In the process of his dive to earth, this little bird reaches speeds of 58mph or 93kmh.
It’s argued that this is the fastest bird for its size as it flies at 385 body lengths
per second, which is faster than a plane with it’s afterburners on, only 150 body lengths
per second.
7.
Pronghorn Antelope
Surprisingly, the pronghorn, known in North America as the American antelope, prong buck,
or simply antelope, is not actually an antelope at all.
It is the only remaining species of the family antilocapridae.
Its closest relatives are the giraffes and okapi.
The top speed of the Pronghorn is 98kmh or 60mph, making it the fastest land animal in
North America.
They also hold the record for the longest migration, reaching 150 miles each way between
Wyoming’s Upper Green Basin and Grand Teton National Park.
The only other North American land animal to travel further is the caribou.
The horns of a pronghorn are lyre shaped and curved towards themselves.
They are also the only animal in the world that have forked horns that shed every year.
They are awake for most of the day, and if they do sleep it’s only a few minutes at
a time.
Pronghorns have fantastic eyesight which is needed to help them avoid predators in the
plains they live in.
6.
Sailfish
The Sailfish has been called the “wolves of the sea.”
These creatures hunt in large packs working together to herd their prey in small groups,
each taking their turn to either herd or attack.
They have iridescent scales that flash between black, striped, and blue, each color distracting
their prey and allowing the pack to know what the fish’s next move will be.
Sailfish use their large sails to help in this process.
The bill of this fish is as agile and precise as a fencer’s foil and twice as sharp.
These fish have been known to grow to as much as 11 feet and weigh as much as 220 lbs.
They are said to be the fastest fish in the ocean being able to breach the waters at 110kmh
or 68mph!
The sailfish make for great sport and are very popular with deepwater fishermen, but
very little is known about this fish.
Some scientists have speculated that the sailfish only raises its fin when excited or when trying
to threaten its prey as it keeps the fin pressed to its body most often.
Others have speculated that the sail is used as a kind of break helping the fish to slow
down or even to use it as a large solar panel to help keep the fish warm.
5.Cheetah
The fastest and last land mammal on our list is the Cheetah.
The cheetah is a slender, streamlined large cat known for its spots and its speed.
A cheetah’s explosive speed can go from zero to 113kph or 70mph in less than three
seconds.
One reason that the cheetah is able to maintain these speeds is the way they use their tail.
Unlike most big cats, a cheetah’s tail is long and heavy which allows the cheetah to
use it more like a rudder than a balance.
When chasing prey, sometimes the prey will make sharp turns; and when they do, the cheetah
will throw their tails to help them keep in line with that prey.
They can only run in short bursts, but nothing can outrun a cheetah in a straight foot race.
Cheetahs are very secluded creatures, living in small packs.
Usually it’s a mother with her cubs, who rely on her until they can hunt for themselves,
or a few males living together.
Cheetah cubs have lighter fur on their backs and darker coats on their stomachs which is
thought to mimic a honey badger who are known to be very aggressive.
4.
Horsefly
If you’re surprised that an insect made it on our list, you’re not alone.
The horsefly is a species of large fly that are only active in the day time.
They feed on nectar, but females have strong mouth parts that allow them to feed off of
the blood of other animals.
It has been recorded that a housefly can fly up to 145kmh or 90mph when pursuing a female.
The scientists to record this speed shot a small projectile and recorded the speed at
which the male chased after it.
Horseflies are also called gadflies and are well known in mythology.
The goddess Hera sends a gadfly after Io, one of Zeus’ lovers, after she turned the
poor girl into a cow.
Another story involves the Trickster god Loki who transformed himself into a fly to bother
Brokkr while he was forging Mjolnir.
3.
White Throated Needletail
The white throated needletail is a large species of swift that build their nests in rock crevices
or hollow trees in Australia.
They are migratory birds breeding in Central Asia and southern Siberia.
In rare cases, they have been seen as far west as Norway, Sweden, and Great Britain.
But needletails haven’t been seen in England for over 22 years.
They get their name from the shape of their tail, which has spines instead of the usual
forked shape that swifts usually have.
These birds spend most of their time in the air only landing during breeding season.
They have large mouths that allow them to feed on aerial plankton.
White Throated Needletail have reached flying speeds of 171kmh or 106mph, though the science
seems to be debatable as there are no papers published with this fact.
They are also sometimes known as the “stormbird.”
2.
Golden Eagle
Golden eagles are one of the largest birds in North America found mostly in the Western
US.
This species of eagle has been popularly used in falconry due to its hunting prowess.
They have incredible eyesight and can spot prey from thousands of feet in the air.
When they spot prey, they are able to dive with speeds that reach up to 240kmh (150mph)
and have been recorded to reach as much as 320kmh or 200mph, giving the next contender
a run for their money.
Golden eagles are equipped with long powerful wings that have finger-like indentations on
the tips.
They are unique from other raptors because they hold their wings in a slight upturned
v shape.
Golden eagle pairs have been observed to engage in behaviors that scientists have called “play.”
Eagle pairs will take turns taking sticks or prey into the air and dropping them while
the other retrieves it.
They have also been seen hunting on the ground, wildly flapping their wings as they run.
1.
Peregrine Falcon
The fastest recorded flight belongs to the peregrine falcon.
These raptors are only about 3 feet from wing to wing and are found almost everywhere in
the world.
They have been used for falconry for more than 3,000 years for its eagerness to hunt
and its agreeable disposition, which makes it easier to train.
The word “peregrine” means “wanderer” or “pilgrim,” which is fitting for their
widespread habitats.
A peregrine can cruise at a speed of about 38 to 53kmh (24 to 33mph), speeding up to
about 67mph when in pursuit of prey.
This speed is more than doubled when the falcon dives.
It will climb between 300 and 3,000 feet above their prey and plummet towards it at speeds
of up to 322kmh or 200mph.
Some scientists have recorded neck-breaking speeds of 389kmh or 242mph making the peregrine
falcon the fastest animal on Earth!
Did any of our entries surprise you?
Or maybe you feel there is another animal that should have made our list?
Let us know in the comments below, and as always, thanks for watching!