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Cheetah
Land. GPS and motion-sensing collars recorded a wild cheetah in Botswana reaching 58 mph (93 km/h). The study followed five animals through 367 runs, most of them hunts. Most chases were slower, with the cat changing speed and direction as it pursued prey.
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Peregrine falcon
Air, diving. A trained peregrine named Frightful was reported at 242 mph (389 km/h) in a staged high-altitude dive. A recording altimeter measured the fall over time. Published camera measurements of another peregrine diving beside a dam reached 50 mph (81 km/h), illustrating how much the setup matters.
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Sailfish
Water. Researchers estimated a maximum of about 19 mph (30 km/h) from how quickly sailfish muscles contract and how far each tail beat can move the fish. High-speed video and motion sensors during hunts supported slower speeds than the often-repeated claims of more than 60 mph.
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Pronghorn
Land. One published running study cites pronghorn covering almost seven miles in 10 minutes, an average of about 40 mph (65 km/h). In separate tests the researchers measured how much oxygen a pronghorn could use, helping explain how it can sustain a fast pace across open ground.
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Mexican free-tailed bat
Air, powered flight. Researchers tracked radio-tagged bats from a plane in Texas. One short segment worked out to about 100 mph (160 km/h) relative to the ground. Wind and the uncertainty in the recorded positions matter when comparing this figure with airspeeds measured another way.
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Shortfin mako shark
Water. Tags that measured water flowing past the shark directly captured an 11 mph (18 km/h) burst from a female mako. The number describes one measured burst. Speeds estimated from a shark leaping clear of the water answer a different question.
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Common swift
Air, powered flight. In rapid group flights called screaming parties, researchers used cameras to track common swifts. They recorded a horizontal speed of 70 mph (112 km/h) in the fastest pass. The short, fast flights were considerably quicker than the birds’ usual migration pace.
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Common ostrich
Land. Film analyses have put fast-running ostriches in the range of roughly 27 to 38 mph (43 to 61 km/h). The upper value comes from a smaller individual in an early study. The footage lets researchers examine how long strides contribute to the speed of this two-legged runner.
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Gyrfalcon
Air, diving. An optical tracker recorded a trained gyrfalcon reaching 116 to 130 mph (187 to 209 km/h) in its seven fastest dives. As it accelerated, the bird drew its wings closer to its body. The figures describe dives made by that individual.
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Dall's porpoise
Water. A wild study measured speeds from an inflatable boat and clocked Dall’s porpoises at up to about 13 mph (22 km/h). At speed the porpoise can throw a fan of spray behind it. A frequently cited 34 mph (55 km/h) figure was an estimate of a possible burst.
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Common minke whale
Water. Researchers following killer-whale pursuits off northwestern North America reported common minke whales swimming at 9 to 19 mph (15 to 30 km/h). Some minkes gradually pulled away over half an hour or longer. The chases offer a rare look at sustained speed in a whale.
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Thoroughbred
Land. The Thoroughbred filly Winning Brew covered a quarter mile in 20.57 seconds at Penn National in 2008. That works out to an average of about 44 mph (70 km/h) across the timed stretch. Her figure applies to a known distance and shows what a horse can sustain in a very short race.
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Greyhound
Land. Studies of racing greyhounds cite speeds around 38 mph (61 km/h). Using high-speed video and sensors in the ground, researchers compared their gallop with a cheetah’s. At matched speeds, cheetahs covered more ground per stride and took fewer strides per second.
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