There are a lot of animals in the world that can move incredibly fast. Many move much faster than people. The world’s fastest runner set the record in a sprint at 28 miles an hour. The average walking speed for people is only 3.1 miles per hour. There are many animals that could beat people in a race. Come with me to see what animal is the fastest!
Peregrine Falcon
The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird. It climbs to great heights and then uses gravity to reach incredible speed while it dives. The peregrine falcon can go as fast as 200 miles while it is diving towards the earth. These birds can be found on all of the continents except Antartica. They live in all kinds of places including deserts, plains and tundra. They can even live in cities! They like to build their nests in very high places like ledges on high cliffs or skyscrapers and buildings.
Sailfish
The sailfish is the fastest fish in the water. It gets its name from its huge fin on it back. It can fold this fin down or fan it out. It does not use this fin to swim, but to scare away dangerous predators. The sailfish can swim up to 68 miles an hour! This is about as fast as a car drives on the highway. The sailfish also has a long upper jaw that looks like a sharp sword. These fish like to live in warm ocean water and are usually found far from land.
Cheetah
Cheetahs are the fastest land animal. Cheetahs can run up to 61 miles an hour. Cheetahs can’t keep this speed up for long. They run in quick bursts called sprints, usually to catch dinner! Cheetahs have special equipment that help them move so fast. Their tails can help them steer while they are running so fast and their claws help grip the ground so they don’t slip or slide.
Cheetahs are found on African plains. Their spots help them to blend in with the grasses and shadows.
Elk
Elk are big animals that move surprisingly fast! Most of the animals that are really fast are long and skinny, but elk are big and bulky. A boy elk can weigh up to 700 pounds, imagine 70 bags of potatoes! An elk can move its huge body up to 45 miles an hour.
American Pronghorn
American pronghorn are just a bit slower than cheetahs. They can reach speeds of 58-60 miles an hour, but they can run a lot farther than cheetahs. American pronghorn live in the western United States in states like Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. They love grassy open spaces. They eat grasses and prairie plants. They survive in very dry places because they don’t need to drink much water.
Mantis Shrimp
The mantis shrimp has two arms that have little clubs on the end. It can use these arms to break open the shells of other animals so that it can use them for food. It can swing these clubs incredibly fast to have enough force to break the shells. Blink your eye. A mantis shrimp can swing its clubs 50 times faster than you can blink!! That means it could swing its club 50 times during the time it takes you to quickly open and shut your eyelid. This is fast enough to break aquarium glass.
Fast can mean a lot of different things, running, swimming, flying, diving and even swinging your arms. There are many amazing creatures that can move so fast. Moving fast can help these animals catch food, avoid danger and even migrate to where there is food and water.
Check out this song about about the fastest land animal the cheetah! How fast can you run? Have a race with your friends and pretend to be different animals that can move really fast.
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