- Kangaroo
Kangaroos have been caught at speeds of 44 mph (71 km). They are found only in Australia and some New Guinea islands. Their strong back legs and their tail help them reach that top speed.
- Greyhound
Greyhounds are the fastest dogs in the world with recorded speeds of 46 mph (74 km). They belong to a family of hunting dogs called sighthounds and have been bred over hundreds of years!
- Hare
Small but very fast, the hare has been caught at speeds of 50 mph (80km)! Their powerful hind legs help them eat up ground fast to evade predators. Like rabbits but with longer ears, hares live above ground which is why they need the speed. Talk about small but mighty!
- Blackbuck
The blackbuck has been recorded at 50 mph (80 km). They are found in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. They can run top speed for over 1.5 km, helped by their huge 6.5-meter strides.
- Lion
Lions have been recorded at 50 mph (80.5 km, unlike the hare and blackbuck). Like the cheetah, the lion can only run full speed in short bursts. That makes it so that they need to work as a team and get very close to have a successful hunt.
- Wildebeest
The wildebeest has been recorded at 50 mph (80.5 km). These animals are surprisingly fast for their size. They are built for endurance rather than speed which helps when they’re migrating.
- Quarter Horse
The quarter horse has been clocked at 54.7 mph (88 km). They are fastest at short distances and are not great at endurance. This speed is invaluable on ranches and farms.
- Springbok
We are down to our final three. Here is the first. The springbok is a small gazelle that lives in herds. They have been clocked at 55 mph (88 km). They can only sprint in short bursts but can use their special abilities to evade predators. They use three-meter-high bounce-like jumps and sharp turns to shake off the predator.
- Pronghorn
The Pronghorn has been recorded at 55 mph (88.5 km). It is not only the second fastest land animal but has insane endurance as well. It has been known to run at a max of 56 km an hour for 6 km!
- Cheetah
And number one… the cheetah! The cheetah has been clocked at 75 mph (120.7 km). The cheetah can go from a standstill to over 95 km per hour in three seconds! By far the fastest land animal. Its speed is limited to short bursts, they can only sprint at top speed for around 60 seconds
I am not Shure if I learned anything 🙂
Did you pay attention to the post???
I didn’t know that greyhounds could run so fast. I knew they could run fast but not that fast! Also, Quater horses get their name from quarter mile races because they are very fast. I wasn’t that surprised when I saw them on here.
Thank you for the fact on quarter horses.
This is an interesting post! I often think about cheetahs, but didn’t really know about the animals up to ten. Interesting to see that the Hare is on the list. Did that surprise you?
Yes