- This is why we had to come up with traps and bows to hunt things.
In his prime, Usain Bolt truly earned his nickname of “Lightning Bolt.” The fastest man on Earth reached a top speed of 29.5 miles per hour when he set the record for the 100-meter dash.
That’s pathetic. At least if you compare it to other creatures on the planet.
This was originally going to be a top list of the fastest animals, but we realized it’d be really boring since it’d be all birds. So, we broadened our scope a little and covered all kinds of creatures, even if they’re not exactly THE fastest.
They’re still faster than Usain Bolt — and definitely faster than you.
7. Pronghorn (60 mph)
The slowest (yet not slow) animal on our list is the pronghorn. These North American antelope-like beasts are real marathon runners, holding the title for the fastest land mammal over extended distances.
The pronghorn can run at 35 mph for up to four miles, allowing it to outrun pretty much anything it can naturally encounter. That said, it’s capable of much greater speeds over shorter distances
On average, the pronghorn can sprint a half-mile at 50 mph. However, if running on a perfectly level, hard surface with the wind on its back and youth’s spring in its step, it can momentarily speed up to 60 mph.
6. Cheetah (~70 mph)
Cheetahs are the fastest land mammals in the world. But exactly how fast they are is actually a kind of an open question.
For a long time, the measured top speed of a cheetah was 71 mph. However, that measurement turned out to be unreliable due to a whole slew of questionable methods used to obtain it.
Still, the cheetah’s maximum speed is somewhere in the ballpark of 70 mph. They can’t keep that speed up, though — going that fast, the big cat exhausts itself in less than a minute.
5. Black Marlin (82 mph)
You might not think of marlins as particularly speedy fish. Yet, the fastest recorded speed for a black marling is 82 mph, making them the fastest fish in the seas.
The fun part is how they measured the speed. The record velocity was measured off a hooked black marlin pulling line off the reel at 120 feet per second, which translates to 82 mph.
It’s unknown, however, what exactly the marlin was doing. We don’t know if it dove, swam horizontally, or did something completely different.
4. Spur-winged Goose (88 mph)
They may be known for flying in intricate formations, but geese don’t exactly look like speedy fliers. Yet, the spur-winged goose is the eighth fastest bird in the world (told you we’re leaving a lot of them out).
This African goose can reach a top flight speed of 88 mph. That makes them, on average, the fastest bird in the family that includes ducks, geese, and other related fowl.
The fascinating part is that the spur-winged goose is the largest waterfowl in all of Africa. It proves that being hefty doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t go fast.
3. Horsefly (90 mph)
Speaking of the hefty and fast creatures, here comes the horsefly. These big, blood-sucking buzzers are more agile with their wings than their size would suggest.
Some horseflies have been observed to zip by at 90 mph when pursuing a tasty animal they can bite. At that kind of speed, there’s nothing that can escape a determined horsefly.
So, if you notice a horsefly barreling toward you, don’t bother trying to run. You’ll have a better chance to avoid getting bitten if you attempt to punch it out of the air.
Editor’s note: A huge fly slamming into your knuckles at +60 mph f***ing hurts.
2. Mexican Free-tailed Bat (100 mph)
The Mexican free-tailed bat is the fastest mammal in the world. They’re awkward on the ground but once they take into the air, they’re ridiculously fast.
In fact, with a maximum recorded speed of 100 mph, they’re the fastest horizontal fliers in the world. That’s right — this bat beats every single flying creature when it comes to honest-to-goodness flying.
But the Mexican free-tailed bat doesn’t like just going fast but also enjoys the heights. It’s the highest-flying bat that can flap up altitudes of nearly 11,000 feet.
1. Peregrine Falcon (242 mph)
And here it is — the world’s fastest animal. Nothing on the planet comes even close to matching the 242-mph maximum speed of the peregrine falcon.
That said, the falcon isn’t at its fastest during regular horizontal flight like the Mexican free-tailed bat. Instead, it builds up to its incredible top speed when diving straight down from the air to catch prey.
When adjusted for size and body weight, the peregrine falcon swooping in is the equivalent of an average person sprinting toward a hamburger at 382 mph.
Thinking about it, you can’t help but admire how the bird is built. At that speed, you’d imagine its wings would rip off when it starts slowing down, yet the falcon is just fine.