Joey’s Animal Facts Vol.1 – Life in the Fast Lane

Life in the fast-lane…

Which animal is the fastest? The fastest animal on land is the Cheetah (61mph/98km/h), with the Pronghorn Antelope (60mph/97km/h) coming in a very close second, and the Lion third place (50mph/80km/h).

In the water the speeds get even greater, with the Sailfish reaching speeds of 101mph (68km/h). Marlin come in at a relatively distant second clocking 80mph (50km/h) and the Wahoo (78mph/48km/h) winning the bronze medal.

At the top of the animal time sheets, however, are the birds: in level flight the Spine-Tailed Swift is the Usain Bolt of the animal world recording speeds of 171mph (106km/h). Coming in second and third are the Frigate bird 153mph (95km/h) and the Spur-Winged Goose 142mph (88km/h).

The 171mph Spine-Tailed Swift is not the fastest an animal can naturally travel, however. The Tom Daley of the bird world, aka The Peregrine Falcon, reaches astonishing velocities breaking the 200mph mark when Diving – but that’s gravity aided.

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