Speed of Animals
Updated June 26, 2019 |
Infoplease Staff
Most of the following measurements are for maximum speeds over approximate quarter-mile distances. Exceptions—which are included to give a wide range of animals—are the lion and elephant, whose speeds were clocked in the act of charging; the whippet, which was timed over a 200-yard course; the cheetah over a 100-yard distance; humans for a 15-yard segment of a 100-yard run; and the black mamba snake, six-lined race runner, spider, giant tortoise, three-toed sloth, and garden snail, which were measured over various small distances.
| Animal | Speed (mph) |
|---|---|
| Peregrine falcon | 200.00+ |
| Cheetah | 70.00 |
| Pronghorn antelope | 61.00 |
| Lion | 50.00 |
| Thomson's gazelle | 50.00 |
| Wildebeest | 50.00 |
| Quarter horse | 47.50 |
| Cape hunting dog | 45.00 |
| Elk | 45.00 |
| Coyote | 43.00 |
| Gray fox | 42.00 |
| Hyena | 40.00 |
| Ostrich | 40.00 |
| Zebra | 40.00 |
| Mongolian wild ass | 40.00 |
| Greyhound | 39.35 |
| Whippet | 35.50 |
| Jackal | 35.00 |
| Mule deer | 35.00 |
| Rabbit (domestic) | 35.00 |
| Giraffe | 32.00 |
| Reindeer | 32.00 |
| Cat (domestic) | 30.00 |
| Kangaroo | 30.00 |
| Grizzly bear | 30.00 |
| Wart hog | 30.00 |
| White-tailed deer | 30.00 |
| Human | 27.89 |
| Elephant | 25.00 |
| Black mamba snake | 20.00 |
| Six-lined race runner | 18.00 |
| Squirrel | 12.00 |
| Pig (domestic) | 11.00 |
| Chicken | 9.00 |
| House mouse | 8.00 |
| Spider (Tegenearia atrica) | 1.17 |
| Giant tortoise | 0.17 |
| Three-toed sloth | 0.15 |
| Garden snail | 0.03 |
Source: Natural History Magazine, March 1974, copyright 1974; The American Museum of Natural History; and James G. Doherty, general curator, The Wildlife Conservation Society.
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