Q.
Which animals run the fastest and how do we humans fare in comparison?

.

A.
The 2020 World Almanac (with its teeny-tiny writing) and the American Museum of Natural History have answers. Sad to say, it’s rather bad race news for we non-Olympian humans.

Most of these animals were charted at their maximum speeds over ~ a quarter-mile. Those measured differently are noted below …

Speeds of Selected Animals in Miles Per Hour
Cheetah – 70 (timed over a 100 yard distance)
Pronghorn antelope – 60
Wildebeest – 50
Lion – 50 (clocked while charging. Not terrifying at all.)
Thomson’s gazelle – 50
Quarterhorse – 47.5
Elk – 45
Cape hunting dog – 45
Coyote – 43
Gray fox – 42
Hyena – 40
Zebra – 40
Mongolian wild ass – 40
Greyhound – 39.35
Whippet – 35.50 (timed over a 200 yard course)
.

.

Domestic Rabbit – 35
Mule deer – 35
Jackal – 32
Reindeer – 32
Giraffe – 32
White-tailed deer – 30
Warthog – 30
Grizzly bear – 30
Domestic cat – 30
Human – 27.89 (timed over a 15 yard segment of a 100 yard run)
Elephant – 24 (clocked whilst charging)
Black mamba snake – 20 *
Six-lined race runner lizard – 18 *
Wild turkey – 15
Squirrel – 12
Domestic pig – 11
Chicken – 9
Tegenaria Atrica Spider – 1.17 *
Giant tortoise – 0.17 *
Three-toed sloth – 0.15 *
Garden snail – 0.03 *

* timed over various small distances.

www.justcurious.ca

Header: Cara Fuller. Cheetah Outreach. Presumably not yet at full mph.
Photo 2: Waranya Mooldee