Speed thrills human beings. But for animals it is the necessity. It makes some of them ace hunters and for others speed is a means of escaping the danger. So in their case it’s a means of survival. Men try to emulate the fastest speeds as in car racing which for sport and thrill.
In this post we will discuss about three species and about their speeds.
Tiger Beetles
Tiger beetles are known for their running speed md aggressive behaviour. It consists of many subspecies. Among them Rivacindela hudsoni species are special. They can run at speeds of 9 km per hour. This is equal to about 125 body lengths per second.
Peregrine falcon
It’s scientific name is Falco peregrinus. It is also called duck hawk perhaps due to its hunting of the ducks prominently. Except for Antarctica, it is found in almost all places around the world. It is an ace hunter. It soars high above the flocks of birds and after zeroing in on a particular bird it dives at speeds which can reach about 300 km per hour. It makes it not the fastest bird but also the fastest animal on the earth.
Cheetah
Cheetah is famous for being the fastest animal on the earth. It’s strong legs, lean body, enlarged heart and nostrils, strong paws which are partially intractable make it ideal for this job. Its average speed is about 64 km per hour. But can attain speeds upto 98 km per hour and that too in very small span of just 3 seconds from 60 km per hour average. But it can’t sustain the top speeds for long. They can run about just 450 meters at top speeds. It covers this distance in just 13 second making for the prey hard to escape.
