What is the fastest animal in the world?

Animals are one of the most amazing and beautiful creatures living on our planet. Graceful and dangerous predators, gentle and shy herbivores - very often the eternal and irreconcilable dispute between them about who will survive today is decided not by strength and size, but by speed. Do you know what is the fastest animal in the world? You will learn the answer to this question from our article, as well as 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.

Do you want to know what it might be? Then be sure to read our other article, also on this site.

The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world

Our record holder among animals 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 do not have the opportunity to wait for their prey in the shelter. Wildebeest, hares and gazelles, which these animals eat, 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 patches in the form of spots and stripes, and sometimes you can also see a black cheetah. All of them are not too large - the weight of an adult is from forty to sixty-five kilograms, so among African felines the fastest animals in the world are considered to be the smallest.

Cheetahs have long been tamed by people and were 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.

About that, you can read in the article on our website.

Top 10 fastest animals in the world: animal 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 takes second place 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 growth 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 tips 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 does not look at all like its predecessor, the pronghorn antelope. The weight of the wildebeest can reach two hundred kilograms, and its muzzle is more like the muzzle of a yak or a cow, and even has a mane and beard. True, this does not affect speed at all - when fleeing from predators, herds of these animals can run about 80 km / h, so they can confidently take 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 that the wildebeest makes are reminiscent of a low nasal grunt.

a lion

And here is the king of beasts, the fastest of the cats after the cheetah, because in pursuit of prey, he easily develops speeds 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 cats and give birth may come as a surprise to many.

A lion successfully interbreeds with a tiger (in this case, the offspring are called ligers or tigers), a jaguar (children are called yagulvas) and a leopard (offspring from such a union are called leopons). There are many zoos around 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 Scot, African explorer Joseph Thomson. Despite its low weight, it does not lag behind a lion in speed and can run up to 80 km / h.

Kulan

Kulan is translated as "invincible" or "fast". And it fully justifies both of these definitions - the speed of the kulan can reach 70 km / h. And it can be considered invincible due to the fact that there has not yet been a case that the kulan was tamed by a person.

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, the turn has come for the northern representative of the swift-footed - the elk! He can be quite proud of his speed - not every animal in the world reaches 72 km / h! Repeatedly people have tried to tame moose and make mounts or dairy animals out of them, but almost always retreated, as moose are very demanding and difficult to keep.

By the way, at present there are two well-known moose farms in the world, one in the Kostroma region, and the other in the Pechoro-Ilychsky reserve. Moose milk is considered medicinal and tastes like cow's milk.

Coyote

Coyote is an inhabitant of North America and was even considered among its indigenous inhabitants as a deity who bore the name Trickster and was distinguished by a mischievous character. In running, the coyote easily reaches 65 km / h, which allows him to hunt raccoons, badgers and other small animals.

The coyote itself also does not have 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 relative in shorter legs and gray hair with the addition of red and black. 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, every year they bring offspring of four to ten foxes. Its fur is considered very valuable because of its extreme softness.

Hyena

Hyenas are predators, so the speed of their legs is simply necessary for them. 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 in Eurasia.

What is the name of the person who installed the absolute 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!