It is believed that the ability to move quickly gives animals serious advantages. In fact, this statement is true if we are talking about one specific race, for example - the wolf finally caught up with the hare. Or I didn’t catch up... But if we take into account that in nature everything is interconnected and balanced, then the situation is different. Each species has its own ecological niche - the space and place where the animal finds best opportunities for life.
But none of the living beings coexisting in this complex environment have serious privileges. Evolutionary transformations and development take centuries, and the reasons for the temporary dominance of animals of a certain type are external factors - climate change, disasters. The real advantage would be the ability to deliberately upset the balance, adjusting the environment to suit your needs. But only one species living on Earth can do this - people.
So, which animal demonstrates excellent speed performance in conditions wildlife? The Top 7 will present the fastest animals in the world.
African predator of the cat family. It appeared on our planet about 3.5 million years ago, and is the only representative of the genus Acinonyx today. Scientists consider the cheetah to be a unique animal in its behavior and structure. It is not only the fastest (at short distances it reaches speeds of up to 130 km/h), but also an incredibly maneuverable beast. He will not attack from an ambush, because open area, where fast spotted cats get their food, there is nowhere to hide. Races for long distances not for him, the cheetah is not very durable. Only about every second of his attempts to catch someone for lunch ends in success.
The most beautiful inhabitant of the prairies, the oldest animal of the ungulates in North America, and the only member of its pronghorn antelope family. In the last century, it was almost exterminated by humans, but was saved by representatives of environmental organizations. Today there are more than 3 million individuals in the wild. The pronghorn is famous for its speed qualities far beyond the borders of North America. He is the second fastest animal on earth, second only to the cheetah. Capable of racing at a speed of 115 km/h. The pronghorn is a herbivore and hence runs fast due to fear of the teeth of predators. Over his long history of evolution, he also learned to jump high, thus proving to the whole world that steeplechase is his sport.
The fragile-looking animal amazes with its endurance and speed. Lives in East Africa, migrating from Northern Sudan to Ethiopia, found in Kenya and Tanzania on the coast of Lake Victoria. The beautiful antelope was named after the Scottish scientist James Grant. Belongs to herbivorous mammals. Over the history of its evolution, Grant's gazelle has learned to overcome marathon distances, escaping from large predators, but you definitely can't call it a coward. If the cub is in danger, the female is able to boldly engage in battle with the enemy, relying on the strength and sharpness of her long lyre-shaped horns. The take-off speed, thanks to which Grant's gazelle took third place in the ranking of the fastest animals in the world, is about 110 km/h.
A close relative of its predecessor in the ranking, it is inferior to it in speed, demonstrating a run-up speed of 80–85 km/h. The antelope has a very elegant body, beautiful ribbed horns, and huge languid eyes. Despite its angelic appearance, residents of East Africa, along with predators, often hunt this animal. During its rapid run, Thomson's gazelle bounces funny, as if flying into the air. It is difficult to catch even for a cheetah, which prefers the baby in the hunt for its tasty meat. The gazelle got its name in honor of the Scottish geologist and naturalist Joseph Thomson.
An animal that has managed to maintain its large population, living everywhere on the African continent. The wildebeest belongs to a separate genus of the bovid family. This is a very large animal (weighing up to 250 kg), but at the same time playful. Maximum speed its movement is approximately 80 km/h. It has a high degree of endurance, so it can consistently maintain a speed of 55 km/h for half an hour. The wildebeest is a herd animal. If you imagine a whole crowd of heavyweights galloping across the ground at fairly high speed, you can understand why such races are so famous in the world. The shaggy, robust creatures run around in a friendly crowd several times a year, due to their habit of changing their habitat in search of fresh grass. The consequences of such races can be very destructive.
North America is considered the homeland of the horse, from where these odd-toed ungulates later spread their habitat to the Eurasian continent. The African type of horse is the zebra. Horses' natural ability to race at speeds of approximately 55 km/h stems from the desire to survive in the wild. The horse is a herbivore. Just 10 thousand years ago, people did not domesticate them, but hunted them to extermination. Nowadays, horses live both in the wild - in nature reserves in Europe and America, and in captivity. During that period of their evolution, when horses lived in natural natural conditions, they had small sizes and were very different in appearance from their current relatives.
Horses took on their modern appearance thanks to the efforts of breeders. Racing breeds are especially prized. The cost of a famous handsome man can amount to millions of dollars. The maximum running speed was recorded at 69 km/h; this is exactly the agility demonstrated by the English stallion Beach Racket at a distance of 400 meters. smart and resilient.
A small cute animal from the order Lagomorpha. Lives on every continent except icy Antarctica. Its closest relative is the white hare. The names correspond to the color of the fur. Adapting to survive, the hare learned to change color depending on the time of year. This helps him both warm up (the winter “outfit” is warmer than the summer one) and hide - the white fur does not stand out much in the snow in winter. It's no secret that everyone and everyone is hunting hares. Therefore, the scythe has a hard time - he needs not only to run away, but also to show miracles of maneuverability. From the tracks in the snow you can see that the hare is creative in confusing his opponent. The running speed of furry animals reaches 60 km/h, and the average is slightly lower.
For comparison, the maximum running speed of a person is 35–40 km/h over a short distance of 100 meters. And this is a single indicator, recorded by the running champion, Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt. Obviously, running speed would definitely not help a person overtake the fastest animals. So animals are still faster.
2016.03.10 byA well-trained athlete can reach a speed of 45 km/h, but most of us run no faster than 30 km/h. When it comes to running, man is by no means the king of nature. Many animals are able to move much faster.
Today we offer Top 10 fastest animals in the world. It includes only land dwellers, although it is worth noting that there are champions on the water and in the air. Thus, a sailfish can swim at a speed of 110 km/h, and a peregrine falcon dives at its prey, demonstrating 90 km/h.
10. Hyena (speed - 60 km/h)
This predator is common in Africa, India and the Middle East. Their impressive speed allows hyenas to hunt even such fast and large animals as zebra and wildebeest. In one sitting, a predator can eat up to 15 kg of meat.
9. Gray fox (speed – 65 km/h)
This species from the wolf family lives in northern Canada, the USA and Central America. The gray fox not only runs fast, but also deftly climbs trees. Its prey includes rabbits, birds and small rodents.
8. Coyote (speed - 65 km/h)
The American wolf is practically omnivorous and extremely unpretentious. The diet is based on animal food: hares, prairie dogs, gophers, small rodents, raccoons, ferrets and beavers, as well as birds and insects. Coyote swims well and catches fish and frogs. In autumn it eats fruits and berries. Occasionally attacks small livestock and rummages through garbage.
7. Moose (speed 72 km/h)
A large and strong elk does not often become the prey of predators, and it is not easy to catch up with it at such speed. Sokhaty is the most big representative deer family. The moose not only runs well, but also swims well. These animals travel 10-15 km a day in search of food.
6. Thompson's Gazelle (speed - 80 km/h)
The gazelle got its name in honor of explorer Joseph Thompson. The main enemy of the gazelle is the swift cheetah. Therefore, to have any chance of salvation, she needs to be able to run fast. Unlike its pursuer, Thompson's gazelle can run quickly for quite a long time.
5. Lion (speed - 80 km/h)
The lionesses take on most of the food-gathering responsibilities in a pride. But if necessary, then lions have no problem chasing down the victim they like. By the way, the lion is the heaviest among all the participants in our speedy Top 10.
4. Kulan (speed – 70 km/h)
As a rule, these equids are leisurely and may even seem lazy. But in a moment of danger, the animal develops speed that allows it to escape from more predators.
3. Wildebeest (speed – 80 km/h)
These antelopes are a favorite delicacy of lions. That is why nature endowed them with such outstanding running abilities. By the way, unlike a heavy lion, the wildebeest can easily carry its light body over much longer distances.
2. Pronghorn (pronghorn antelope) (speed - 100 km/h)
And this antelope is most often attacked by cheetahs. Naturally, it is not easy to compete with such a lightning-fast hunter. The advantage of the pronghorn is its hardy heart, which allows it to run even when the predator is already exhausted.
1. Cheetah (speed – 120 km/h)
The fastest animal in the world from among those living on land. True, the cheetah is not able to run for a long time at such a speed, but more often than not, a few seconds are enough to drive down the prey. The cheetah accelerates to a record speed of 120 km/h in just 3 seconds. But before 100 km/h in just 2.6-2.8 seconds.
Surely many people are interested in what the fastest animals in the world exist. Who runs, flies or swims the fastest? At average speed running ordinary person at 30 km/h, our smaller brothers are many times faster than us in terms of speed of movement. We have selected the 10 fastest animals in the world, compiling a list not only of land inhabitants, but also adding birds and sea inhabitants. To make it fair, we divided our top 10 into three parts, allocating a third to each habitat. So let's finally answer the question, what better legs, wings or tail?
10. Lion / Panthera leo (~80 km/h)
Since 10 is not divisible by 3, we decided to give the vacant position to a sushi representative, and to which one at that. Our list of the fastest animals in the world opens with the lion. Even though the lion is the king of beasts, it is not the best in speed. Its 80 km/h is one of the most largest representatives It rarely collects cats, since it is mainly lionesses who do the hunting in the pride.
9. Horse mackerel / Trachurus (~80 km/h)
Our rating is continued by the representative aquatic environment habitat - horse mackerel. It is one of the three fastest-swimming fish on our planet. It moves mainly in large schools in the surface layers of water, reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h. Probably because of such fast movement, horse mackerel has almost no fat at all. The most big fish This breed, among those caught by humans, weighed about 2 kg.
8. Gazelle Granti (~80 km/h)
Eighth place is taken by Grant's gazelle. This fast-moving, artiodactyl animal is found in eastern Africa. It got its name in honor of the famous Scottish naturalist D.O. Granta. Despite its seemingly fragile appearance, this gazelle is very resilient and strong. This graceful animal uses its considerable speed mainly to run away from its main enemies - hyenas and jackals.
7. Pronghorn / Antilocapra americana (~88 km/h)
In seventh place on our list of the fastest animals in the world is an antelope called the Pronghorn. These animals live in North America. Accelerating to almost 90 km/h, they easily escape from wolves and coyotes, who only get weakened, sick individuals. Their population was once very large like bison, but because of their natural curiosity, pronghorns became easy prey for hunters. Currently, some subspecies of these animals are included in the Red Book.
6. Striped marlin / Istiophoridae (~100 km/h)
Next in our ranking is again a representative of the aquatic habitat - striped marlin. It ranks second among the fastest-swimming fish on our planet. Its menacingly protruding dorsal fin is approximately equal in height to its body, which allows it to maneuver very well without losing speed. This fish can reach sizes up to 5 meters in length, and can weigh more than half a ton. The marlin got its name from the similarity of its nose to a rigging tool called a piling, which in English is written as marlinspike.
5. Sailfish / Istiophorus platypterus (~110 km/h)
Fifth place on our list again goes to an aquatic inhabitant - the sailfish. The sailboat is the most fast fish in the world. Its habitat is mainly tropical and subtropical zones oceans, but it is also found in temperate waters. The size of a sailboat can be up to 3.5 meters in length and weigh more than 150 kg. When a sailfish swims quickly, it folds its giant fin into a special notch on its back. Thanks to their fin structure, these fish make good use of the effect of turbulence, when the water dissected during movement does not pass in even layers along their body, but by forming special vortices, which additionally allow them to achieve such phenomenal speed in the water.
4. Cheetah / Acinonyx jubatus (~110 km/h)
In fourth place in our top is the cheetah - the fastest land animal in the world. His speed in a jerk, according to various sources, can be from 110 to 120 km/h. Cheetahs are found in Africa and some countries in the Middle East. The unique body structure helps cheetahs move in leaps even at top speed. These born hunters not only run fast, but are also able to instantly change the direction of their movement due to the structure of their long tail. Scientists have determined that the average length of a cheetah's run is only about 170 m and this is not surprising, with such speed these graceful predators quickly overtake their prey.
3. Frigate / Fregata (~153 km/h)
The top three of our top ten fastest animals is opened by a representative air environment Habitat: Frigate bird. This bird can be found in warm waters of tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. These unusual birds in horizontal flight they can reach a speed of about 153 km/h. Their wingspan is approximately 2 m 50 cm, and their body weight is adult is approximately 1.5 kg. Male frigatebirds are very easily distinguished by their bright red throat sac; in females it is white.
2. Spiny-tailed swift / Hirundapus caudacutus (~170 km/h)
In second place on our list is the needle-tailed swift. Despite its diminutive size, this bird ranks second among all birds in speed. The size of the needle-tailed swift does not exceed 24 cm, and the weight does not exceed 140 g. The streamlined shape of this bird allows one to minimize air resistance in order to achieve such amazing results in flight speed. It is noteworthy that these birds spend almost their entire lives at altitude, only occasionally descending to the ground.
1. Peregrine falcon / Falco peregrinus (~390 km/h)
And finally, first place. Answering the question of what is the fastest animal in the air, you can immediately answer the question of what is the fastest animal on Earth. And the answer will be - peregrine falcon, not without reason high-speed train on the route Moscow - St. Petersburg was named after this unique bird. An adult peregrine falcon reaches a size of 120 cm in length and weighs approximately 1.5 kg. The wingspan of these birds ranges from 80 to 120 cm. The peregrine falcon is a hunter of flying birds and you can often see a swift in its prey, which ranks second in our ranking, which indicates the phenomenal speed of this predator. Flying over its prey, the peregrine falcon, folding its wings, rushes like a stone into a dive, in which it reaches its amazing speed maximums.
The best athletes are able to reach speeds of no more than 30-40 km/h. Even an ordinary hare can break this record. Do you know what maximum speed the fastest animals in the world can reach? Some predators and herbivores move with lightning speed, which is comparable only to the acceleration speed of a sports car. After all, their life or food depends on it.
We present to the readers the top 10 fastest animals on the planet.
10. Brown hare | Speed 60 km/h
The top ten fastest brown hare opens. This agile rodent accelerates to 60 km/h during an attack by a predator. At the same time, he begins to rush from side to side in order to mislead his pursuer. The agile animal can accelerate up to 75 km/h, but over a short distance - 20 meters. The hare is helped to develop such speed by its powerful and long hind legs, as well as light weight, which averages 3 kilograms. This animal has a lot of enemies, so it has to be on guard all the time and run a lot so as not to become someone’s food.
9. Zebra | Speed up to 64 km/h
The zebra is one of the fastest animals in the world. When attacked by a predator, the mammal can reach speeds of up to 64 km/h. Zebras are very hardy. It is this factor that helps them escape from predators. Their peculiarity is that they begin to run from side to side if pursued by a predator, who, meanwhile, loses coordination and cannot catch the smart animal. In times of serious danger, the zebra itself can offend its pursuer by kicking or biting him. These are quite heavy representatives of mammals weighing up to 400 kg. In search of food and water, zebras are able to cover distances of up to 800 kilometers per year.
8. Kangaroo | Speed up to 71 km/h
The eighth fastest animal in the world is. If the mammal senses the approach of danger, then at the most crucial moment it accelerates to 71 km/h. At the same time, it begins to sweat very much, which helps regulate the heat exchange process, and when it stops, the animal begins to breathe quickly - up to 300 breaths per minute. A kangaroo easily covers a distance of 2 kilometers in 80 seconds, which equates to a speed of 40 km/h. IN calm state jumpers cover distances at speeds of up to 26 km/h. It is noteworthy that representatives of the marsupial family can jump up to 3 meters in height and up to 9 meters in length.
7. Wild Dog | Speed up to 72 km/h
It is considered the seventh fastest animal in the world. During a hunt, a predator can accelerate to a maximum speed of 72 km/h, but only at short distance. More a long way, for example, 5 kilometers, it can easily cover at a speed of 60 km/h. Since wild dogs usually act in a herd, the victim has virtually no chance of escaping from hungry animals. Their prey is often wildebeest and zebra, which are also among the fastest living creatures on the planet. Wild dogs are very voracious and can consume up to 15 kg of meat at a time. Their habitat is the Middle East, India and Africa.
6. Moose | Speed up to 73 km/h
In sixth place among the fastest animals is. When attacked by predators, the artiodactyl can reach speeds of up to 73 km/h. And this despite a weight of 700 kg and a height of 2.5 m. Mighty powerful horns weighing up to 40 kilograms have a span of up to 2 meters. Therefore, predators rarely dare to attack such a large herbivore. A special feature of the deer family is that they not only run well, but also swim. Every day moose travel up to 15 km in search of food. The habitat is considered to be Russia and America.
5. Leo | Speed up to 80 km/h
The fifth place of honor is occupied by the majestic king of all animals -. Moreover, the fastest representatives among this species are females. Perhaps because they are the ones who most often have to go out to prey. During a hunt, a heavy animal is capable of a maximum speed of up to 80 km/h, but only for a short distance of 20 meters. As a rule, this is enough to catch prey. These predators are distinguished from all others by the lightning-fast reaction.
4. Wildebeest | Speed up to 90 km/h
The fourth place in the rating goes to wildebeest from Africa. Since they are the main prey of many local predators, the animal had to learn to run as fast as possible and reach speeds of up to 90 km/h. And this despite its heavy weight of 250 kg and height of 1.5 m. In the absence of danger, horned runners accelerate to 40 km/h. A herbivore is dependent on weather conditions. During droughts, they often have to migrate long distances in search of food.
3. Gazelle | Speed up to 105 km/h
The third fastest animal in the world is. The maximum recorded speed of movement of an artiodactyl at a distance of 150 meters is 114 km/h. The average result in motion is 105 km/h. The gazelle is considered one of the hardiest animals, which can move at a fairly high speed for a long time. Her light weight of 30 kg and long legs help her run with such ease.
2. Pronghorn | Speed up to 115 km/h
The second fastest animal on earth is rightfully considered the American antelope. The maximum movement speed of the artiodactyl is 115 km/h. The main enemy of the pronghorn is the cheetah. To escape from a predator, he has to move so fast. When the cheetah may already be exhausted, the fleet-footed animal continues to move, thanks to its amazing endurance. These antelopes can accelerate not only while hiding from a predatory hunter, but also just for fun. An amazing feature of these four-legged animals is that they are able to jump over an obstacle two meters high or six meters wide.
1. Cheetah | Speed up to 120 km/h
It is considered the fastest animal on earth. The maximum speed that a predator can gain when hunting is 120 km/h. It is not surprising that with such lightning speed, the hunter runs out of steam in exactly a minute. But usually this time is enough for him to overtake the victim. Moving with such speed, the main part of the cheetah floats in the air, touching the ground only to push off. The predatory pussy manages to pick up such a running pace in just 3 seconds. So the animal can easily compete with the fastest sports car in terms of acceleration speed. Such fast movement, despite the short time interval, takes a lot of energy and strength from the leopard. It will take him at least half an hour to recover after a run. During this time, while the mammal is resting, leopards or hyenas may well steal its prey.
And not even a hare! Present to your attention .
So, the creature that is the fastest of all living things on the planet is this is a peregrine falcon. It belongs to the falcon family (see), and is approximately equal in size to an ordinary hooded crow.
The uniqueness of the peregrine falcon lies in the fact that it reaches speeds of over 322 km/h. Just imagine, it’s about 90 meters per second! It is no wonder that such a falcon gets its food, in principle, without problems, because not a single creature on the planet can run away or fly away from a predator with such speed, even under pain of death.
But there is an important clarification here. Despite the fact that the peregrine falcon is officially considered a creature on the entire planet (in the air, on land and in the sea), it ranks first not in horizontal flight, but in vertical flight. According to the usual forward movement, the peregrine falcon is ahead of the swift bird, which develops 110 kilometers per hour.
The peregrine falcon is a surprisingly diverse bird, numbering over 15 subspecies. This predator hunts in almost the same way as other falcons. Positioned on high places or gliding slowly in the sky, it vigilantly tracks down its prey. As soon as the prey is found, the peregrine falcon rises slightly and then dives down at a 90-degree angle at a speed of approximately 300 kilometers per hour. It’s no wonder that even relatively large victims’ heads simply fly off from a powerful blow from the paws pressed to the body.
These falcons usually hunt medium-sized birds or small mammals.
By the way, this “bird” is listed in the Red Book of Russia due to the fact that there are not so many of them.
Now you know for sure that the fastest creature on the planet is the peregrine falcon bird.
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