10. Rampant Camouflage
- Animal: Zebra.
- Speed: 64 km/h.
Very common in the African savannas, zebras are one of the favorite dishes of lions and lose badly in the marathon against their predators. But, even though they are slower, they are not killed so easily. That’s because its speed, along with the stripes, creates a visual effect that confuses cats. As they see in black and white, they cannot distinguish the animal’s silhouette and often miss the boat.
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9. Road Runners is a piece of cake
- Animal: Coyote.
- Speed: 69 km/h.
It’s only in the cartoon that the coyote loses to the roadrunner. In the real world, the North American canid can reach more than twice the speed of the rooster, which reaches 30 km/h. This ability was developed so that your menu is not restricted to the bird. Deer, hares and other fast animals are also among their prey. But he can also feed on insects, fruits, snakes and even carrion.
8. Heading south
- Animal: Duck-eider.
- Speed: 76 km/h.
Although it lives most of its time at sea, diving to find its food – crustaceans, molluscs and starfish –, it is not when swimming that the duck reaches its greatest speed. It is during flight that it is faster, with the aim of migrating south before winter reaches its natural habitat, which is concentrated in regions such as northern Europe, Greenland, Canada, Alaska and Siberia. .
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7. Running from danger
- Animal: Wildebeest.
- Speed: 80 km/h.
This relative of buffaloes, antelopes and cows is one of the largest African mammals. Despite reaching 270 kg, he needed to develop the ability to run to escape lionesses, leopards and hyenas, his main predators. Herbivorous, the wildebeest usually live in groups, migrating over long distances in search of water and food – mainly between the plains of Kenya and Tanzania.
6. Better than her husband
- Animal: Lioness.
- Speed: 80 km/h.
Born hunters, lionesses are capable of shooting at this speed over a short distance – especially when hunting. That’s because many of their prey are very fast, like wildebeest. The weight (about 180 kg) and the absence of thick hair, like its partner, contribute to a lighter and more comfortable run. Lions, weighing around 250 kg, cannot exceed 58 km/h. Behind every king of the jungle is a great queen…
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5. Compact type
- Animal: Gazelle-thompson.
- Speed: 80 km/h.
The species is very common in Africa and lives in groups of about 50 animals. She is very small: she measures, on average, no more than 60 cm and weighs 25 kg. Its small size allows it to make turns with more efficiency and speed – a feature that helps it to escape the clutches of its main predator, the cheetah. The brownish color and the black stripes on the face and body still give it that strength to camouflage itself in the middle of the savannas.
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4. Saved from extinction
- Animal: Pronghorn.
- Speed: 98 km/h.
The speed of the quadruped was due to an evolutionary issue: fleeing its predator, the extinct American cheetah. Pronghorn prongs were also targeted by North American pioneers and nearly became extinct. With the ban on hunting, it was possible to save them and today there are more than 3 million, spread across North America. They are still hunted by wolves, coyotes and lynxes, but these will have to make an effort to bring down this fast prey.
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3. Phelps of the oceans
- Animal: Sailfish.
- Speed: 110 km/h.
Found in tropical oceans, this squirrelfish is also known as a swordfish. It has a long, pointed end of its snout, which helps cut water pressure, increasing the speed at which it moves. This helps the animal to escape predators (among them, man, as this species is one of the main targets of sport fishing) and also to capture small fish, which it feeds on. The showy dorsal fin helps to direct its body.
2. Made for running
- Animal: Cheetah.
- Speed: 115 km/h.
The body helps him to have agility in the movements. The nails, for example, are always exposed and are stuck in the ground, preventing the animal from skidding in the curves. The slender torso and long tail help cut the wind and maintain balance, while the black lines below the eyes keep the sun’s reflection from getting in the way of daytime hunts. This allows it to reach 72 km/h.
1. Deadly flight
- Animal: Peregrine Falcon.
- Speed: 320 km/h.
The fastest animal on the planet reaches its maximum speed while hunting. To reach its prey, it closes its wings and dives into the air, using gravity to its advantage. With that, it manages to reach 320 km/h – which is almost the maximum speed of an F1 car, which reaches 370 km/h. The species measures between 38 and 53 cm in length and can weigh up to 1.5 kg, Inhabitant of the Northern Hemisphere (USA and Canada), the falcon feeds on other birds, such as pigeons, and migrates to Brazil in the spring, it can be seen even in big cities – exchanging its nest on cliffs for the top of skyscrapers.