There are slow animals, that use their slowness to an advantage. Sloths, snails, slugs, moles and sea anemones are all very slow animals, and yet they have found a way to live and survive on the planet!
For some animals, however, it’s more about speed! They must use speed, agility, skill and intelligence to escape predators or track down and kill prey!
These are the top-10 fastest animals in the whole of the animal-world:
10 – Brown Hare.
Using their long back legs to propel themselves along, these brown hares can reach speeds of 77 kilometers per hour, (48 mph)! They do this to escape predators, like red foxes, wolves, eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, bears and weasels! This means they are the 10th-fastest animal in the entire world!
9 – Blue Wildebeest.
Blue wildebeest are wildebeest that live in the grasslands of many countries across the world, including Africa. They can reach speeds of 80 kilometers per hour, (50 mph), and they must, for they have many predators, including lions, cheetahs, wild dogs and hyenas! This earns them the name of the 9th-fastest animal in the world!
8 – Marlin.
Marlins are a type of fish! They can reach speeds of just over 80 kilometers per hour, (50 mph), and so this makes them ahead of the blue wildebeest! They reach these lightning-fast speeds to be able to trap down their prey, which consists of mostly squid and fish! It is the second-fastest water-animal, and 8th fastest of all animals!
7 – Pronghorn Antelope.
Pronghorn Antelope are the second-fastest land-animal on earth! It feeds only on grasses, leaves and other plants, but it can reach speeds 98 kilometers per hour, (60 mph), and it does often, to escape it’s predators! It’s makes it’s way easily to be the 7th-fastest animal on earth!
6 – Sail-Fish.
Though the marlin-fish is speedy, they have no competition against the sail-fish! It swims at speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour, (68 mph), to catch it’s prey; smaller fish! It is the fastest fish in the world! It also will, sometimes, speed up to escape predators such as seabirds and sharks!
5 – Cheetah.
The cheetah is often thought to be the fastest animal in the world, but this is wrong! They are the fastest land animal! Reaching speeds of 113 kilometers per hour, (70 mph), it chases down it’s prey; antelopes, wildebeest, zebras, and other grassland animals!
4 – Spur-Winged Goose.
The spur-winged goose is the 4th-fastest animal in the world. It can fly at speeds up to 142 kilometers per hour, (88 mph). It does this, not to escape predators nor trap prey, but to be quicker on the annual migration it takes across the world!
3 – Frigate Bird.
Frigate birds are commonly known to be “pirates of the sea”. This is because they rob other seabirds of their prey, mainly fish. To catch up with the speedy gulls, skuas, terns, guillemots, gannets and puffins that it picks on, this bully must reach high speeds; and it does; up to 153 kilometers per hour, (95 mph), and so it’s easily the 3rd-fastest animal on earth!
2 – White-Throated Needle-Tail.
White-throated needle-tails are small, swallow-like birds! Just because they’re small, however, doesn’t mean they’re not quick! In fact, they are! To catch the speedy little insects they eat, these tiny birds speeds of up to 171 kilometers per hour, (106 mph)! They also fly at these speeds during their migration, and so earn the name as the second-fastest animal in the world!
1 – Peregrine Falcon.
The peregrine falcon is easily the fastest animal on earth! It is a bird-of-prey, meaning it prey on other animals! It eats many things, but mainly other birds, including pigeons, doves, sparrows, ducks and coots, and so must be quick and agile to catch them! Usually, it flies above, them dives down towards them! It is this “dive”, known as a stoop, that earns them their name; “The Fastest Animal On Earth”! For, in this stoop, they can reach 322 kilometers per hour, (200 mph)! An amazing speed!
So, those are the top-10 fastest animals on earth! Many other animals are speedy, but those are the quickest!
Thanks for reading!
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