Exploring Nature: S peed
What is the world’s fastest animal? Probably the peregrine falcon.
In a downward dive, this feathered rocket can reach speeds of 27 miles per hour. Wow.
A cheetah can sprint along at 70 miles per hour. This animal has shorter claws that do not retract like those of most cats. Also, the pads on the bottom of their feet are ridged rather than rounded. That helps the cheetah grip the ground and push off firmly for the next bound.
Sailfish swim at 68 miles per hour. Pronghorn antelope speed along at 60 miles per hour. A dragonfly can fly at 35 miles per hour.
What about humans? We’re quite slow-moving compared to many animals, running at a top speed of about 20 miles per hour.
What is the slowest animal? Probably the snail. At .03 miles per hour, it would take a snail some 30 minutes to move around the outside edge of this newspaper page.
I notice the speedometer in my car shows a top speed of 110 miles per hour. This seems a tad high since it exceeds the top speed limits of any roads I plan to drive on.
But if a cheetah ever chases me, it might come in handy.
