What's the fastest animal on Earth? To find out, you need to get specific. Are you talking about sprinting on land, diving through the air, flapping through the skies, or swimming through water? You might also want to consider speed based on body size and how many lengths an animal can cover per second. This list features the fastest birds, land mammals, fish, and insects. You may have learned that the cheetah is the fastest land animal, which is true - for short distances, at least. But compared to a diving peregrine falcon or a black marlin in water, the cheetah's title as the 'fastest animal on Earth' doesn't quite hold up. Check out our list of speedy animals that can fly, swim, or run circles around you - some might surprise you.
About this list
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CheetahScience MedicineThe cheetah holds the title for the fastest land animal globally. It hits speeds up to 61 mph. Cheetahs are sprinters. They can reach four times the speed of humans.
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Thomson's GazelleScience MedicineThe Thomson's gazelle can reach 50 mph. This is good news. However, the cheetah hunts the gazelle, which runs faster.
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Peregrine FalconScience MedicineThe peregrine falcon dives up to 200 mph. This makes it the fastest animal on Earth during a dive.
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Brown HareScience MedicineThe little brown hare hops to 47 mph. It might be small, but the hare outruns most predators.
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OstrichScience MedicineThe ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs. It sprints up to 45 mph in short bursts with 12-foot strides. This bird runs 30 mph for half an hour.
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HorseflyScience MedicineThe horsefly is one of the smallest creatures listed. This biting insect flies up to 90 mph. Shoo!
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Sail FishScience MedicineSail fish cuts waves at 68 mph. This makes it one of the fastest water animals.
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LionScience MedicineA lion can reach 50 mph. This speed helps the lion hunt its prey, the blue wildebeest.
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Frigate BirdScience MedicineThe frigate bird has the largest wingspan relative to its body. It flies up to 95 mph. These birds sometimes stay aloft for over a week.
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Pronghorn AntelopeScience MedicineThe pronghorn antelope is the second fastest land animal. This antelope lives in North America. It reaches 60 mph.
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Blue WildebeestScience MedicineWide open plains are where fast animals run. The blue wildebeest can reach about 50 mph there.
Also ranks #65 on Best B Animals, Ranked
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Spine-tailed SwiftScience MedicineThe spine-tailed swift is the fastest animal in powered flight. It achieved a speed of about 106 mph.
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Anna's HummingbirdScience MedicineThis small bird reaches 61 mph. This equals 385 body lengths per second. This is the highest length-specific velocity for any vertebrate.
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Tiger BeetleScience MedicineThe Australian tiger beetle runs fast for its size. A speed of 4.2 mph seems small for its size. Imagine running at 171 body lengths per second.
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Black marlinScience MedicineA hooked black marlin stripped line at 120 feet per second. This equals 82 mph. This makes the fish the fastest ocean creature.
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