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 |
