The Fastest Animals in the World
Being fast in the animal kingdom is an important factor when it comes to surviving. Having a fast pair of legs can save your life and help catch up with your food. It is not only case in the animal kingdom but in the human world as well. Creatures of the land, see, or air move in a different way, but they all fight for one thing-staying alive. Take a look how far some animals have to be in order to get away!
1. Cheetah (Speed in mph: 64)
According to some research published in the Journal of Mammalogy in 1959 which compared the running methods of the cheetah to the horse was shown that these fast enduring animals can run up to 64mph. They can run better on shorter distances and contrary to the belief it hasn’t been proven that their speed can reach up to 70mph. This atypical member of the cat family is the fastest animal in the world but lacks in strong climbing activities.
2. Pronghorn Antelope (Speed in mph: 61)
This large mammal of the Great Plains is the second fastest animal in the world. It can reach up to 61mph and it can sustain a speed of 30mph for miles. Therefore there is no animal which can keep up with the antelope over such a long distance. The Pronghorn Antelope’s exceptional speed is necessary in order to evade predators by outrunning them; however these animals are poor jumpers.
3. Wildebeest (Speed in mph: 50)
Wildebeest aka gnu is one of the fastest mammals in the wilderness. They are exquisitely strong and can even inflict an injury to a lion. Their maximum speed can be between 40-50mph. However they move in herds in order to protect themselves from predators.
4. Lion (Speed in mph: 50)
This second largest living cat (just after the tiger) once widely spread around the globe now can be found mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia. The lioness does most of the hunting, while the king of the forest doesn’t run that often.
5. Thomson’s gazelle (Speed in mph: 50)
It was named after explorer Joseph Thompson. The Thompson’s Gazelle is one of the best known gazelles. It can reach the speed of 50mph while running from its enemy, cheetah. It can run longer than cheetah and escape its lethal bite.
6. Quarter Horse (Speed in mph: 47.5)
This is not an ordinary horse; it can outrun other horses in races of a quarter mile. It can achieve speed of 47.5mph. Because of its gracefulness, speed and the fact that it can be tamed this is the most popular horse with 5 million horses worldwide.
7. Cape Hunting Dog (Speed in mph: 45)
These wild animals are not only cunning but can run very fast. It is also known as the African Wild Dog and it mainly hunts in packs where one animal attack the pray while the other pack members disembowel the animal. It has to run to catch up with its pray but also to run away from Spotted Hyena, African Lion and the Nile Crocodile who like to feed on them.
