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Top 10 List:
The world's fastest animals
[more Top-10 Lists]
The following maximum speed measurements are recorded over approximately quarter-mile distances. Exceptions are the lion, which was clocked in the act of charging, and the cheetah, which was measured over a 100-yard distance.
Animal |
speed (mph) |
speed (km/hr) |
notes |
|
1. |
Peregrine falcon |
200.00+ |
322 |
This is the fastest animal when in its hunting dive, the stoop, in which it soars to a great height, then dives steeply at high speeds. See also the fastest birds list. |
2. |
Cheetah |
70.00 |
|
|
3. |
Pronghorn antelope |
61.00 |
|
|
4. |
Lion |
50.00 |
|
|
5. |
Thomson's gazelle |
50.00 |
|
|
6. |
Wildebeest |
50.00 |
|
|
7. |
Quarter horse |
47.50 |
|
|
8. |
Cape hunting dog |
45.00 |
|
|
9. |
Elk |
45.00 |
|
|
10. |
Coyote |
43.00 |
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Sources
- Natural History Magazine, March 1974,
- The American Museum of Natural History
- James G. Doherty, general curator, The Wildlife Conservation Society.
Other fastest animal lists include:
- Top 10 fastest fish
- Top 10 fastest birds
- Top 10 fastest mammals