In nature, speed can mean survival. Evolution shaped certain species to make the most of this advantage. What are the fastest animals in the world?
Air, sea, and land
Many would say at once that it is the cheetah. Well, this is partly true. Perhaps it is on land. But there are many other species that move in other spaces. The sea or the sky know extreme animal speeds.
The cheetah has the optimum average size to achieve great speed. Its body proportions are perfect. The length of its legs and muscles favor it. Thus it can register top speeds among land animals. It can run between 103 and 112 kilometres per hour. It can run between 103 and 112 kilometers per hour, according to the Smithsonian Institution of Biology, Conservation and the National Zoo.
Speed has been shown to be closely related to size. This is what a professor of evolutionary biomechanics at the Royal Veterinary College in London is talking about. His name is John Hutchinson. He believes that there are few studies on the speed of other species that surpass the cheetah in speed.
Speed records
“Cheetahs, like most cats, are not chase animals.” He observes that these felines are the fastest on earth over short distances. Why? Because they don’t chase their prey at high speeds over long distances. Their hunting strategy consists of accelerating and maneuvering quickly.
Like collects Live Science, few land animals come close to the cheetah’s speed record. Among them, the American antelope reaches a speed of 97 km/h. And it is capable of sustaining a speed of 72 km/h for miles.
But the fastest animals in the world are not on the ground. In the air is the peregrine falcon that has clocked a record Guinness World Record for speed. It reached 389.46 km/h. The common swift flies at 111 km/h. Meanwhile, the Mongolian swift reaches speeds of 169 km/h.
There are also fast marine species. For example, black marlins or black marlins (Istiompax indica). They have recorded a speed of 129 km/h. They are followed by swordfish and sailfish. They reach speeds of 97 km/h and 109 km/h, according to reefQuest Centre for Shark Research data.
