When it comes to the animal kingdom, speed matters, it can be an issue of life and death. Predators use their speed to hunt, overtake and overpower their prey, while animals with few defences rely on their speed for survival and escape.
On this list, we present the top 5 fastest animals on land, air, and water.
1. Cheetah (Fastest Land Animal)
In less than three seconds, the cheetah can go 0 to 60 miles per hour. The cheetah has been considered the fastest land animal for years now. Although it can maintain such speed only for short distances.
2. Black Marlin (Fastest Fish)
When necessary a variety of fish can achieve impressive speed rates. According to sources, the black marlin is regarded as the fastest with a top speed of up to 80 miles per hour. This positions the sailfish as its contender with a top speed of 67 miles per hour.
3. Peregrine Falcon (Fastest Bird)
Birds have proven to be great Olympians when it comes to incredible speeds. The Peregrine Falcon has been known as the fastest bird and is also classified as a member of the fastest animal kingdom. It has a flight-diving speed of more than 185 miles per hour when hunting. This takes the golden eagle to the second position with a speed of 150+ miles per hour.
4. Pronghorn (Fastest Land Animal Long Distances)
The pronghorn which is regarded as the American antelope is the fastest land animal when it comes to long distances in the animal kingdom whereas the cheetah is the fastest sprinter. The pronghorn is capable of maintaining a speed of nearly 35 miles per hour over several miles and is even faster over short distances. During sprints to evade predators, pronghorn can hit a top speed of about 55 miles per hour.
5. Horsefly (Fastest Insect)
The speeds of insects have been difficult accuracy to maintain or have, however, the horsefly is known to achieve speeds estimated at 90 miles per hour under certain circumstances. The speed was gauged from a scientific experiment.
