The Fastest Creatures on Earth

If all the animals in the world were put in a speed race, which animal would cross the finishing line first? Would it be the cheetah, the jaguar or perhaps the antelope? Well, that depends on the site of the race –the fastest land animal may not be the fastest swimmer or flyer, and vice versa. So, guess which animal is the fastest runner, swimmer or flyer?

The fastest runner

With its ability to run at a speed of at least 105 km/h, the cheetah definitely wins this award paws down. It is the fastest runner in the “big cats” family and among land animals too! Do you know what makes it a super fast runner? No, the answer is not a good pair of Puma running shoes! Cheetahs have very large nostrils that allows it to take in large amounts of oxygen, a heart and a pair of lungs that cooperate well to allow oxygen to flow effectively, claws that provide a good grip and a tail that helps it to make sharp turns.

Cheetahs have been around since about 4,000,000 years ago (long before the other big cats come into existence ) and can be commonly found throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.

Do you know the difference between a leopard and a cheetah? Well, the cheetah has a much slender body, a smaller head and a spotted, tanned coat while the leopard has a stockier body, a bigger head and a ‘rose-patterned' coat. Furthermore, cheetahs are diurnal animals (which means that they are active during the day ) and are fast runners. Leopards, on the other hand, are nocturnal animals and are better climbers. See if you can spot the differences the next time you visit the Singapore Zoological Garden. A word of advice though: Do not attempt to go too near the animals, lest you might lose your body parts! You can, however, pay attention to the sounds they make. You would be amazed to hear that cheetahs can produce bird-like, cat-like and even dog-like sounds! However, they cannot roar –unlike the other big cats. Nevertheless, cheetahs can purr like house cats when they are contented, chirp like birds when they are trying to locate other cheetahs, stutter when meeting cheetahs of the opposite gender, and growl or howl when they are annoyed or in danger!

 The fastest swimmer

In water, though, the sailfish will win the speed race fins down against the cheetah. At a speed of 100km/h, the sailfish is the fastest fish , triumphing even against the gigantic blue whales! Living up to its name, the sailfish has a great sail, which is fashioned by its first dorsal fin. The sail-shaped fin allows the sailfish to change its direction quickly. The sailfish originated from the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, but can commonly be found in practically any tropical ocean. The sailfish feeds on tunas and mackerels which coincidentally are also some of the fastest marine animals!

 

You have probably seen sailfish (or other fishes) taxidermy wall mounts which avid fishermen display on their walls. Not to worry, most of these mounts are made of fibreglass. Nevertheless, the sailfish is a prized catch for many avid fishermen and anglers because of its speed (they love the challenge of catching this fast-swimming fish), size (it can grow up to 2 metres!) and colourful beauty (it is dark blue on top, brownish at the sides and silvery at the bottom).

 The fastest flyer

We have saved the best and the fastest for last! The Peregrine Falcon, also known as the Duck Hawk, is the fastest animal on our planet! When the Peregrine is hunting for its prey (doves, waterfowls, songbirds, bats, rats, voles and rabbits), this speedster will soar high up into the air, and dive towards its prey at a speed of about 320 km/h! So what makes it the fastest creature on this planet? Well, the secret is in its 1-meter-long wingspan! As such, these great travellers can be found almost everywhere in the world!

The Peregrine is even appointed the official city bird of Chicago! In other cities, because of their diet, Peregrines have controlled the number of pesky common birds like pigeons and common starlings.

Peregrines are naturally docile animals and can be tamed by humans. Do you know that only female Peregrines are given the title of “falcon”? That is because female Peregrines are larger and more powerful than male Peregrines. Now, that is what I call “girl power”!