The best athletes are capable of speeds not exceeding 30-40 km / h. Even an ordinary hare can beat this record. Do you know what maximum speed the fastest animals in the world can develop? Some predators and herbivores move with such lightning speed that is comparable only with the speed of dispersal of a sports car. After all, their life or food depends on it.
Introducing the Top 10 Readers the fastest animals on the planet.
10. The hare | Speed 60 km / h
Opens the top ten fastest hare. This agile rodent accelerates to 60 km / h during a predator attack. At the same time, he begins to rush from side to side in order to mislead the pursuer. A nimble animal can accelerate to 75 km / h, but a short distance - 20 meters. To develop such a speed, the hare is helped by its powerful and long hind legs, as well as its low weight, which averages 3 kilograms. This animal has a lot of enemies, so he has to be on his guard all the time and run a lot, so as not to become someone’s food.
9. Zebra | Speed up to 64 km / h
One of the fastest animals in the world is the zebra. At the time of the predator's attack, the mammal is capable of speeds up to 64 km / h. Zebras are very hardy. It is this factor that helps them escape from predators. Their feature is that they begin to run from side to side in case of pursuit by a predator, which in the meantime loses coordination and cannot catch a smart animal. During a serious danger, the zebra itself can offend its pursuer, pretty kicking it or biting it. These are quite heavy representatives of mammals weighing up to 400 kg. In search of food and water, zebras per year are able to cover distances of up to 800 kilometers.
8. Kangaroo | Speed up to 71 km / h
The eighth fastest animal in the world is kangaroo. If the mammal feels the danger is approaching, then at the most crucial moment it accelerates to 71 km / h. At the same time, it begins to sweat very much, which helps regulate the heat transfer process, and when it stops, the animal begins to breathe quickly - up to 300 breaths per minute. A kangaroo easily overcomes a distance of 2 kilometers in 80 seconds, which equates to a speed of 40 km / h. In a calm state, jumpers overcome the distance with acceleration up to 26 km / h. It is noteworthy that representatives of the marsupial family can jump in height up to 3 meters and up to 9 meters in length.
7. Hyena-shaped dog | Speed up to 72 km / h
The seventh fastest animal in the world is considered hyena dog. During the hunt, the predator can accelerate to a maximum of 72 km / h, but only a short distance. A longer path, for example 5 kilometers, it can easily overcome at a speed of 60 km / h. Since hyena-shaped dogs usually act in a herd, the victim has almost no chance of hiding from hungry animals. Wildebeests and zebras often become their prey, which also belong to the fastest living creatures on the planet. Hyenoid dogs are very voracious and can absorb up to 15 kg of meat at a time. Their habitat is the Middle East, India and Africa.
6. Elk | Speed up to 73 km / h
In sixth place among the fastest animals Moose. During an attack by predators, a artiodactyl can reach speeds of up to 73 km / h. And this despite the weight of 700 kg and a height of 2.5 m. Mighty powerful horns weighing up to 40 kilograms have a span of up to 2 meters. Therefore, predators rarely dare to attack such a large herbivore. A feature of the deer family is that they not only run perfectly, but also swim. Every day, moose walk up to 15 km in search of food. The habitat is Russia and America.
5. Leo | Speed up to 80 km / h
The fifth place of honor is occupied by the majestic king of all animals - a lion. Moreover, the fastest representatives among this species are females. Perhaps because it is they who most often have to go to prey. An overweight animal during hunting is capable of a maximum speed of up to 80 km / h, but only for a short distance of 20 meters. As a rule, this is enough to catch prey. These predators are distinguished from all by the lightning fast reaction.
4. Wildebeest | Speed up to 90 km / h
The fourth line of the rating goes to wildebeest from Africa. Since they are the main prey of many local predators, the animal had to learn how to run as fast as possible and develop a speed of up to 90 km / h. And this despite its overweight - 250 kg and a height of 1.5 m. In the absence of danger, horned runners accelerate to 40 km / h. The herbivore is weather dependent. During droughts, they often have to migrate in search of food over long distances.
3. Gazelle | Speed up to 105 km / h
The third fastest animal in the world is gazelle. The maximum recorded artiodactyl movement speed at a distance of 150 meters is 114 km / h. The average driving result is 105 km / h. The gazelle is considered one of the most hardy animals, which for a long time can move at a fairly high speed. Light weight helps her to run with such ease - 30 kg and long legs.
2. Pronghorn | Speed up to 115 km / h
The second fastest animal on earth is rightfully considered pronghorn or american antelope. The maximum cloven-hoofed speed is 115 km / h. The main enemy of the pronghorn is the cheetah. To save himself from a predator he has to move with such speed. When the cheetah can already run out of breath, the swift animal continues to move, thanks to its amazing stamina. These antelopes can be dispersed not only during shelter from a predatory hunter, but also just for fun. An amazing feature of these tetrapods is that they are able to overcome a jump obstacle with a two-meter height or six-meter width.
1. Cheetah | Speed up to 120 km / h
Cheetah considered the fastest animal on earth. The maximum speed that a predator is capable of picking up when hunting is 120km / h. Not surprisingly, with such lightning speed, the hunter exhales in exactly one minute. But usually he has enough of this time to overtake the victim. Moving with such speed, the main part of the cheetah soars in the air, touching the ground just to push off. It takes just 3 seconds to reach such a fast-paced run of a predatory pussy. So the animal may well compete with the fastest sports car in terms of acceleration. Such a quick movement, despite a short time interval, takes away a lot of energy and strength from a leopard. In order for him to recover from a run, he will need at least half an hour. During this time, while the mammal is resting, it may well have leopards or hyenas catching its prey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyLHOaSDEnM