Top speed: 98 kilometers (60 miles) per hour Today, you can find it only in well-protected and remote areas Pronghorn Antelope ( Antilocapra americana) Overhunting and poaching, in combination with habitat destruction and conversion of grasslands for agriculture and urbanization, has put the goitered gazelle under the Vulnerable category in the IUCN Red List of Threatened species. Interested fact: the goitered gazelle used to be a very common species – which caused it to be hunted in abundance for millennia. Instead, they stretch their necks and put up their tails. In the Guinness Book of World Records, it still holds the title of the fastest true antelope, with the record speed being 97 km/h (60 mph).Īlthough the goitered gazelle can run really fast, it doesn’t leap like other gazelles. The goitered gazelle inhabits dry grasslands, deserts, sub-deserts, and limestone plateaus of Central Asia and the Middle East – from Mongolia and China to the Arabian Peninsula. Top speed: 97 kilometers (60 miles) per hour It also used to be a migratory species however, the vast South African plains were largely turned into ranches and farms, subdividing the ecosystem and preventing the migrating species from expressing their natural behavior. Interesting fact: In its natural range of southwest Africa, Springbok is the most common antelope in the plains. The greatest clocked springbok speed is 88 km/h (55 mph), making it one of the fastest antelopes in the world.īesides the sheer speed, springbok antelopes are famous for their long leaps and sharp turns while springing – a strategy of movement that is quite useful when you want to avoid being hunted down by a skillful predator (scroll down to see which one!). It is no wonder that this South African herbivore had to pursue a speed-oriented evolutionary path to stand any chance of survival. The springbok antelope’s main stalker is the number 1 sprinter on this list. Top speed: 88 kilometers (55 miles) per hour Springbok antelope ( Antidorcas marsupialis) Still, lions can make this up by being pack animals – the fact that members of the pride (usually the lionesses) hunt together increases their success tremendously. The impressive lion’s sprint can happen only in short bursts because their heart is relatively small compared to their body size (0.57 percent of body weight in female lions and about 0.45 percent in males). However, lions can retain the speed only for a short while – in that decisive moment when they have completely closed in on their prey. It is both muscular and agile, so it is no wonder that it can develop an impressive speed of 81 km/h (50 mph) during a hunting chase. The lion shares anatomic adaptations for running with other cats – such as the elongated spine that increases their stride. Here is one powerful predator that can develop an overpowering speed. Top speed: 81 kilometers (50 miles) per hourĪs the case of our last contender implied, prey animals have an evolutionary push to be able to run fast because equally swift predators hunt them. At the height of the chase, the hare can be as fast as a car – attaining speed of 70 km/h (45 mph).Ĭonsidering that a widespread predator like a red fox can run up to 50 kilometers (30 miles) per hour, it is easy to see why the brown hare needs to make a run for its life – and does so daily. That is why it has to rely on its keen senses and the strength of its long legs to survive. This sensitive mammal’s speed is an adaptation to the fact it is preyed upon by many swift predators – including birds of prey and foxes.Īdditionally, the hare cannot build deep or elaborate dens to shelter it from the predator attacks – but instead lays low in simple shallow depressions in the ground. If you’ve ever seen a brown hare in its wild habitat, chances are it has swiftly disappeared out of your sight. Top speed: 70 kilometers (~45 miles) per hour Read on and be amazed! European or Brown Hare ( Lepus europaeus) What are the animal kingdom’s fastest runners (& what are their top speeds?) Many of them have become important symbols across human cultures. That is why we’ve had to evolve other, elaborate strategies for survival – but also the likely reason behind our fascination with nature’s great sprinters. However, the upright posture isn’t the best possible design to achieve great speed (although we make good long-distance runners). Humans were also once a part of this network. Speed is one of the talents that animals use to complete a successful hunt – or manage to run away from the predator’s jaws. Pronghorn Antelope (Antilocapra americana).Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa).Springbok antelope (Antidorcas marsupialis).European or Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus). What are the animal kingdom’s fastest runners (& what are their top speeds?).6 Fastest Land Animals (including their top speeds!).
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