W B In this wild world, only the fastest will survive. So, I’ve searched by air, sea and land to bring you the fastest ones. Don't miss out on this race, it's pure adrenaline!
#10 Cheetah
If like me, you’re surprised that the cheetah didn’t make it into the first positions of this top, you should know that although it boasts an incredible maximum speed of 9.5 miles per hour, it was surpassed by many animals. Mind you, no one takes away its title of the world’s fastest land animal! It earned this thanks to its perfectly designed body for running. Its nose, heart, and lungs are much larger than other felines, so it gets more oxygen to reach extremely demanding speeds and perform better. For example, this big cat can hit up to 69.59 miles per hour in just 3 seconds! And, of course, its speed makes it one of the most successful feline hunters out there with a 60% success rate. There’s no escape with the cheetah. Gazelles, impalas, and antelopes, forget about it!
#9 Red-breasted merganser
This fast-diving duck is most commonly found in lakes and rivers in North America, Europe, and Asia. You’ll quickly recognize it for its features and crazy spiky feathers on its head. The red-breasted merganser feeds mainly on small fish, tadpoles, insects, and even crustaceans, which it holds pretty well thanks to its long-serrated bill. Like any duck, its anatomy gives it an advantage when diving, and during flight, the red-breasted merganser can reach a speed of 81 miles per hour. However, the red-breasted merganser first needs to start running, which is a bit hard as its legs are positioned near its rear. After this little warm-up, nothing will stop it midair.
Now it’s the turn of the only representative of the fish and the sea world in this top, it’s the…
#8 Black Marlin
This is one of the largest marlin species and also one of the world’s largest bony fish for its maximum length of 15.3 feet. Thanks to its ability in the water, it can hit a significant speed of 82 miles per hour. Its diet is rich in fish and cephalopods, and believe me, with such speed, no prey can escape. A 1,102-pound specimen has even been found with over 110 pounds of tuna in its stomach. Boy, did this marlin wanted to wipe it all out! But that’s not all, in 1953, a black marlin set the world record, weighing 1,560 pounds. This monster was caught off Cabo Blanco in Peru by Alfred C. Glassell Jr. The black marlin is fished commercially and is a highly prized game fish. If you’re interested, some of the favorite fishing spots for this great predator are Australia, Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica. Good luck, catching it will be quite a battle!
#7 Spur-winged Goose
Time to meet Africa’s largest waterfowl and the largest goose in the world, although, as you can see, its appearance is a bit grotesque. Its most remarkable features are those two spurs on the front edge of its wings, which it’s used for self-defense. This bird has a maximum wingspan of 79 inches and can weigh up to 22 pounds. Despite its significant size, it can hit a flight speed of 88 miles per hour. The spur-winged goose feeds on seeds, aquatic plants, and fruits, though it may occasionally eat small fish or insects, and you’d better pay attention here, this bird is considered poisonous due to its diet of blister beetles. The insect’s poison, cantharidin, is held within its tissues, and as little as 10 milligrams of cantharidin can kill a human. So beware, this goose is not fit for consumption!
#6 Gyrfalcon
This fierce falcon is the largest in the world, growing up to 25 inches long with a wingspan of 63 inches. This mighty falcon can soar through the skies at an estimated 90 miles per hour in level flight. This gives it a huge advantage to hunt other birds while flying very high, from where it watches them, and then swiftly swoops down on its prey. Its victims are the ptarmigan, waterfowl, fish and mammals. The horsefly also stands out in this position. This insect is to be feared as the females bite animals, including humans, to obtain blood and produce eggs. The mouthparts of females have two pairs of sharp blades and a sponge-like part to lap up blood from the wound. Horseflies are usually agile while flying, especially during breeding, as the male won’t hesitate to speed up to 90 miles per hour when pursuing a female. Horseflies are found all over the world, from deserts to alpine meadows, there’s nowhere to hide from them!
#5 Frigatebird
You’re probably wondering, what’s that massive red pouch on its chest? Well, I’ll start by explaining it briefly. These are gular sacs that the male inflates to attract females. The frigatebird is a pretty light bird, weighing only 4 ounces with an amazing 7.5-feet-long wingspan. Several scientific studies have shown that thanks to this, the frigatebird can fly continuously for weeks, that is, without any kind of break; they can even sleep mid-flight. The most incredible part is that it hits a flight speed of 95 miles per hour. Despite being quite skilled at flying, the frigatebird doesn’t like to catch its own fish to eat, it’d rather steal them, so it harasses other birds to drop its loot.
#4 Brazilian free-tailed bat
I know, it’s surprising that this small mammal, at only 3.5 inches long, ranks fourth. But in 2016, a Brazilian free-tailed bat, which had a small radio transmitter attached to its back, hit 99 miles per hour. Its great ability is due to its aerodynamic body shape and longer wings than other bat species. It also helps them that every night a colony of these bats feeds on up to 13 tons of insects without letting anyone escape. The speed of this buddy is matched by the Eurasian hobby, which can also eat this bat, large dragonflies, and even swifts. This small 14-inch-long, long-winged, square-tailed representative of the falcons is renowned for its acrobatic skills as it catches prey midair and can pass food to each other mid-flight. If you’re in Africa, Asia, or Europe, keep an eye out, one may surprise you in the sky. Another animal that also didn’t want to be left behind in this position is the Rock Dove. Yeah, these small pigeons have a great flying speed between 60 and 99 miles per hour. Especially, pigeons trained for racing or carrier pigeons. In 2013, a pigeon called Bolt, named after the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was auctioned off for 453,000 dollars. Bolt was claimed to be the fastest pigeon in the world, though there are no speed records, it was the fastest pigeon in a loft of a champion bloodlines breeder.
#3 Alpine swift
Birds definitely took over this top! and this is one of the most extreme in the air! A study published in 2013 showed that the alpine swift can spend over six months flying without having to land and has no problems sleeping, drinking, and even breeding midair. It can hit an impressive flight speed of 124 miles per hour. You might recognize the alpine swift in the air, it’s dark brown with a white belly, and its wings are pretty long with a 22-inch wingspan. It mainly feeds on insects such as horseflies, butterflies, and bees that it hunts mid-flight. Plus, one pair of swifts alone can eat up to 500 thousand mosquitoes. What a great help for pest control! Another one nipping at its heels is its cousin, the white-throated needletail, which stands out at 105 miles per hour. The swift family didn’t want to miss out on this race, what do you think?
#2 Golden Eagle
This is the best-known and most widely distributed bird of prey on Earth. You most probably had the chance to see its impressive wingspan of over 7.5 feet soar through the sky, especially if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. For centuries, due to its hunting skills, it’s been one of the most studied and highly regarded species of bird of prey in falconry, which is hunting wild animals with birds of prey. It’s exactly while hunting that the golden eagle plummets towards its victim, holds its legs up against its tail, presses its partially closed wings against its body, and reaches a striking speed of 200 miles per hour. The diet of the great golden eagle is quite diverse, it hunts mammals, other birds, and even reptiles without problems, which it can eat up to 2 pounds at one sitting. It’s undoubtedly a very imposing and fascinating eagle!
This is the undisputed king of speed and stands out for being an exceptional hunter, it’s none other than…
#1 Peregrine Falcon
You can find this one anywhere in the world, and I’m sure you’ve at least heard its characteristic screech. The highest recorded speed of a peregrine falcon is 240 miles per hour while diving after prey. To achieve this, the peregrine falcon soars to a great height and then plummets. Its amazing strength and hunting skills allow this falcon to feed on other birds that outweigh it, such as large cranes weighing up to 6.8 pounds. Its strategy is to strike its prey with a clenched foot, stunning or killing it on impact. The peregrine falcon will then drop it to the ground and eat it by severing its neck and spine with its powerful upper beak. Now, pigeons, don’t think that this mighty predator won’t be interested in you since you comprise 80% or more of the dietary intake for the peregrine falcon in some cities.
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