Fastest Animals in the World
Number one is the peregrine falcon at about 320 km/h (200 mph) in a dive, followed by the common swift at up to 112 km/h (69 mph) and the cheetah at 93–104 km/h (58–65 mph).
| # | Animal | Top speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peregrine Falcon Bird |
about 320 km/h (200 mph) in a dive | hunting dive (stoop), not level flight; level flight is about 65–90 km/h and the highest measured dive was 389 km/h |
| 2 | Common Swift Bird |
up to 112 km/h (69 mph) | level flight; cruises at 36–43 km/h, with 111.6 km/h measured during display flights |
| 3 | Cheetah Mammal |
93–104 km/h (58–65 mph) | reliably measured top speeds over short sprints; often-quoted figures of 112–120 km/h are estimates |
| 4 | Atlantic Puffin Bird |
77–88 km/h (48–55 mph) | level flight low over the sea, with up to 400 wingbeats a minute |
| 5 | Mallard Bird |
65–88 km/h (40–55 mph) | level flight; the higher figure is for migrating flocks |
| 6 | Pronghorn Mammal |
88 km/h (55 mph) | top sprint; can hold about 55 km/h for several kilometers |
| 7 | Springbok Mammal |
88 km/h (55 mph) | top sprint |
| 8 | Wild Turkey Bird |
up to 88 km/h (55 mph) | short bursts of level flight; they run at about 40 km/h (25 mph) |
| 9 | Blue Wildebeest Mammal |
80 km/h (50 mph) | top speed when fleeing predators |
| 10 | Cougar Mammal |
64–80 km/h (40–50 mph) | short sprints |
| 11 | Jaguar Mammal |
up to about 80 km/h (50 mph) | commonly cited top speed for a very short dash; it has not been precisely measured |
| 12 | Lion Mammal |
80 km/h (50 mph) | short bursts of 100–200 m |
| 13 | Mute Swan Bird |
about 80 km/h (50 mph) | level flight; approximate figure |
| 14 | Reindeer Mammal |
60–80 km/h (37–50 mph) | top speed when fleeing |
| 15 | Rock Pigeon Bird |
60–80 km/h (37–50 mph) | sustained level flight; racing pigeons average more with a tailwind |
| 16 | Thomson's Gazelle Mammal |
80 km/h (50 mph) | top sprint; some sources give up to 90 km/h |
| 17 | Dog Mammal |
24–72 km/h (15–45 mph) | most breeds 24–48 km/h; racing greyhounds reach about 72 km/h |
| 18 | Elk Mammal |
64–72 km/h (40–45 mph) | top speed in short bursts |
| 19 | Bald Eagle Bird |
56–70 km/h (35–43 mph) | level flight; dives are estimated at up to about 160 km/h (100 mph) |
| 20 | Common Ostrich Bird |
70 km/h (43 mph) | short sprints; about 50 km/h can be sustained over longer distances |
| 21 | European Hare Mammal |
70 km/h (43 mph) | top speed when fleeing |
| 22 | Horse Mammal |
40–70 km/h (25–44 mph) | typical gallop 40–48 km/h; the fastest racehorses reach about 70 km/h over short distances |
| 23 | Red Kangaroo Mammal |
56–70 km/h (35–43 mph) | hopping in short bursts; cruising speed is 20–25 km/h |
| 24 | African Wild Dog Mammal |
66 km/h (41 mph) | top speed during a chase; can hold about 50 km/h for several kilometers |
| 25 | Bactrian Camel Mammal |
up to 65 km/h (40 mph) | short bursts; they rarely run |
About this ranking
Speed depends on the medium. The fastest animals of all are birds in a hunting dive, where gravity does much of the work; in level flight, on land and in water the records are lower and belong to different animals. This ranking uses the best well-supported top speed for each animal in our database and tells you how that speed is reached, because a 300 km/h stoop and an 80 km/h sprint are not the same kind of fast.
How it is ranked: Ranked by maximum recorded speed in km/h. Many popular figures are estimates from a single observation; where modern measurements disagree with an older claim we use the conservative value. The list covers the 214 animals in the AnimalStats database, not every species on Earth.
The top five in detail
1. Peregrine Falcon — about 320 km/h (200 mph) in a dive
A peregrine falcon reaches about 320 km/h (200 mph) in a hunting dive, which makes it the fastest animal known. That figure applies only to the dive, called a stoop. The highest speed measured, 389 km/h (242 mph), came from a trained bird released from an aircraft. In level flight peregrines cruise at roughly 65–90 km/h (40–56 mph).
2. Common Swift — up to 112 km/h (69 mph)
Common swifts have been measured at 111.6 km/h (69 mph) in level flight, the fastest reliably recorded level flight of any bird. That speed was reached during social screaming flights. Normal cruising and migration speed is much lower, around 36–43 km/h (22–27 mph). Peregrine falcons are faster only in a dive.
3. Cheetah — 93–104 km/h (58–65 mph)
The highest reliably measured cheetah speeds are 93–104 km/h (58–65 mph). Figures of 112–120 km/h (70–75 mph) are widely quoted but are estimates. A cheetah can reach about 97 km/h in roughly three seconds, yet most chases last under a minute and cover only a few hundred meters.
4. Atlantic Puffin — 77–88 km/h (48–55 mph)
Atlantic puffins fly at 77–88 km/h (48–55 mph) in level flight, beating their small wings up to 400 times a minute. They usually fly low over the water. The same short wings work as paddles underwater, where puffins typically dive for 20–30 seconds and can reach depths of around 60 m.
5. Mallard — 65–88 km/h (40–55 mph)
Mallards fly at about 65 km/h (40 mph) in level flight, and migrating flocks have been clocked at up to about 88 km/h (55 mph). They can spring almost vertically off the water without a running start. Migrating mallards can cover many hundreds of kilometers in a single flight with a tailwind.