Top Fastest Animals on Land

Ostrich: 70 km/h

Top Fastest Animals on Land

The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest bird on Earth and the fastest bird on the ground, but they do not fly. According to the San Diego Zoo, they use their long and powerful legs to run up to 70 km/h in a short time. Ostriches grow up to 2.7 meters tall and can run 3 to 5 meters in one stride. These giant birds use their agility to escape danger, including from predators like lions.

Ostriches live in the lowlands and semi-arid woodlands of Africa, including countries such as Mauritania and Senegal in western Africa; Somalia and Tanzania in Eastern Africa; and Zimbabwe and South Africa in Southern Africa, according to the Africa Wildlife Foundation.

- Related: 10 fastest land animals

Pronghorn: 97 km/h

Top Fastest Animals on Land

According to Barnyards & Backyards, a journal in partnership with the University of Wyoming, the Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is a small, hoofed North American mammal that can reach top speeds of up to 97 km/h. . Make it the second fastest animal on land.

Today, no other predator can reach such speeds in North America. Wyoming's wildebeest can make 483 km migrations in search of food.

Cheetah: 112 km/h

Top Fastest Animals on Land

If there were an animal Olympics, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) would dominate sprint races. These big cats are the fastest land animals and are capable of running at a top speed of 96 to 112 km/h.

A cheetah at the Cincinnati Zoo named Sarah has been recorded sprinting 100 meters in 5.95 seconds. The fastest runner ever, Olympic athlete Usain Bolt, holds the world record for running the same distance in 9.58 seconds. In this sprint in 2009, he reached a top speed of 44.7 km/h, according to the Olympics website.

Cheetahs live in northern, eastern and southern Africa, with small numbers in Iran in Asia. They have long, slender bodies and strong legs that help them reach top speed so they can chase fast prey, such as antelope.

- Related: 10 fastest land animals