Spark image

Animal Olympics

This page shows some of the speeds of the animal world – on land, in the sea and in the air. These are for short distance sprints over about 200 m.

Remember that the animals may not be able to maintain these top speeds for long periods.


Land

Animal Speed (km/hr) Speed (mph)
Cheetah
112
70
Proghorn antelope
97.6
61
Lion
80
50
Thomson's gazelle
80
50
Cape hunting dog
72
45
Horse (max)
71
44
Greyhound
62.4
39
Ostrich
59.2
37
Elephant
40
25
Human
37.5
23.5
Black mamba snake
32
20
Pig (domestic)
17.6
11.0
House mouse
12.8
8.0
Giant tortoise
0.27
0.17
Garden snail
0.048
0.03
 

Sea

Animal Speed (km/hr) Speed (mph)
Sailfish
104
65
Wahoo
80
50
Blue shark
70
43
Killer whale
48
30
Dolphin
40
25
Penguin
36
23
Leatherback turtle
35
22
Salmon
32
20
Human
8
5
 

Air

Bird/Insect Speed (km/hr) Speed (mph)
Peregrine falcon (dive)
over 320
over 200
Spin tailed swift
170
105
Frigate bird
70
43
Ring necked duck
105
66
Pheasant
96
60
Red grouse
88
55
Humming bird
64
40
Dragonfly
58
36
Seagull
40
25
Honey bee
32
20
Wasp
19
12
Butterfly
14
9
Housefly
8
5
 


 
A VERSION IN WORD IS AVAILABLE ON THE SCHOOLPHYSICS USB
 
 
 
© Keith Gibbs 2020