The Fastest Land Animals
The cheetah is the fastest land animal, reaching around 110 km/h in short bursts.
Also known as: World's fastest animals on land
The cheetah tops every ranking of land speed at roughly 100 to 120 km/h over short distances, well ahead of the pronghorn and springbok.
What it is
The fastest land animal is the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), which can reach a top speed of about 110 km/h (68 mph), with reliably measured bursts in the 100 to 120 km/h range. It accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h in roughly three seconds but can sustain a full sprint only for a few hundred metres.
| Rank | Animal | Top speed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheetah | ~110 km/h |
| 2 | Pronghorn | ~88 km/h |
| 3 | Springbok | ~88 km/h |
| 4 | Blue wildebeest | ~80 km/h |
| 5 | Lion | ~80 km/h |
The pronghorn of North America is the fastest over distance, able to hold high speed far longer than a cheetah, an adaptation thought to have evolved alongside now-extinct American predators. Speeds here are for sustained running, excluding diving birds such as the peregrine falcon, which reaches over 300 km/h in a stoop but not in level flight.
Worked example
A cheetah's semi-retractable claws act like sprinter's spikes and its long, muscular tail works as a rudder, letting it make sharp turns at speed while chasing prey.
Related entries
Sources & further reading
- Cheetah — Acinonyx jubatus — Smithsonian's National Zoo (article)