Animals are some of the most amazing and beautiful creatures living on our planet. Graceful and dangerous predators, gentle and fearful herbivores - very often the eternal and irreconcilable dispute between them about who will survive today is not decided by strength and magnitude, but by speed. Do you know what is the fastest animal in the world? You will find out the answer to this question from our article, and also get acquainted with the names and habits of other fastest animals in the world, which can easily compete in speed with the king of nature - man.
Want to know what the fastest human running speed can be? Then be sure to read our other article, which is also on this site.
The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world
Our animal record holder is without a doubt the fastest animal in the world - the cheetah. He can rightfully be considered a champion, because the speed of the fastest animal in the world can reach 140 km / h! She helps him to get food for himself and his cubs, because in those areas of Africa, where the fastest animals in the world live, there are no bushes, tall grass and other shelters. Therefore, they have no opportunity to wait for their prey in hiding. Wildebeests, hares and gazelles, which these animals feed on, get them only if the cheetahs can catch up with them.
Cheetahs are incredibly beautiful and graceful animals. Their color is usually sandy-yellow with small black blotches in the form of spots and stripes, and sometimes you can also find a black cheetah. All of them are not too large - the weight of an adult is from forty to sixty-five kilograms, so among the African felines the fastest animals in the world are considered to be the smallest.
Cheetahs have long been tamed by people and even used for hunting by eastern princes. True, the price of a well-trained cheetah was extremely high - after all, the fastest animals in the world very rarely breed in captivity, so in order to raise a good hunter, he had to be caught as a kitten.
You can read about how to learn how to quickly run short distances in the article on our website.
Top 10 fastest animals in the world: world record holders
We already know who is in first place among animals in terms of speed and is deservedly considered the fastest animal in the world. But, does the cheetah have rivals who can compete with him in swiftness? Now we will find out.
Pronghorn antelope
Pronghorn antelope or simply pronghorn deservedly ranks second in our list of the fastest animals in the world, because its speed can reach 100 km / h! So she escapes from numerous predators. The pronghorn itself feeds on various plants, sometimes poisonous, as well as young shoots of shrubs.
Outwardly, the pronghorn looks like a roe deer, only thinner and more graceful. This antelope got its name for the unusual shape of the horns - their points are directed towards each other and slightly inward. By the way, both males and females of this species have horns, however, in the latter they are rather small and rarely grow larger than ears.
Wildebeest
The wildebeest outwardly is not at all similar to its predecessor - the pronghorn antelope. The weight of a wildebeest can reach two hundred kilograms, and its muzzle is more like that of a yak or a cow, and even has a mane and a beard. True, this does not at all affect the speed - fleeing from predators, herds of these animals can run about 80 km / h, so they can confidently take the third place in the list of the fastest animals in the world!
There are two subspecies of this antelope - blue and white-tailed. The sounds made by the wildebeest resemble a low, nasal grunt.
A lion
And here is the king of beasts, the fastest of the felines after the cheetah, because in pursuit of prey, he easily develops a speed of up to 80 km / h. The appearance and habits of a lion are probably known to everyone, but its ability to mate with other felines and give offspring may come as a surprise to many.
The lion is successfully crossed with the tiger (in this case, the offspring are called ligers or tigers), the jaguar (children are called yagulvas) and the leopard (the offspring from such a union are called leopons). There are many zoos in the world where these amazing animals are kept.
Thomson's Gazelle
This gazelle is very tiny - its weight is within twenty-eight kilograms. She received her name in honor of the world famous Scotsman, African explorer Joseph Thomson. Despite its low weight, it does not lag behind the lion in speed and can run up to 80 km / h.
Kulan
Kulan translates as "invincible" or "fast". And he fully justifies both of these definitions - the speed of the kulan can reach 70 km / h. And he can be considered invincible due to the fact that there has not yet been a case for a kulan to be tamed by a man.
Outwardly, this animal resembles an ordinary donkey, the color is yellowish, and a black stripe runs along the back. Kulans belong to the horse family.
Elk
Finally, it was the turn of the northern representative of the swift - the elk! It may well be proud of its speed - not every animal in the world reaches 72 km / h! Many times people tried to tame moose and make them sled or dairy animals, but they almost always retreated, since moose are very demanding and difficult to keep.
By the way, there are currently two well-known moose farms in the world, one in the Kostroma region, and the other in the Pechora-Ilychsky nature reserve. Moose milk is considered medicinal and tastes like cow milk.
Coyote
Coyote is an inhabitant of North America and was even considered by the native inhabitants of a deity named Trickster and distinguished by a mischievous character. While running, the coyote easily reaches 65 km / h, which allows him to hunt raccoons, badgers and other small animals.
The coyote itself is also not distinguished by a large physique - its height at the withers is only fifty centimeters, and its weight is about twenty kilograms. Usually these animals live in pairs, although loners are often found.
Gray fox
The gray fox is a very beautiful and graceful animal. It differs from its red-haired relative in shorter legs and gray hair with the addition of red and black colors. The muzzle of the gray fox is decorated with black stripes, which makes it even more attractive.
The running speed of this animal reaches 65 km / h. Gray foxes have only one partner and live with him as a couple, each year they bring a litter of four to ten foxes. Its fur is considered to be very valuable because of its extreme softness.
Hyena
Hyenas are predators, so they need speed of legs. Their running speed often reaches 60 km / h. The color of the skin varies from gray to sandy-yellow; there are medium-sized dark spots all over the body. These animals can be found both in Africa and Eurasia.
What is the name of the person who set the absolute world record in running, you will find out if you read our article on the same site.
So, now the names of the fastest animals in the world are not a secret for you. We hope that our article will help you become more erudite and encourage you to strive to learn new things!
