<Tr> <Td> Swordfish </Td> <Td> 97 km / h (60 mph) </Td> <Td> The 60 mph (97 km / h) figure listed for the swordfish is based on a corrupted version of calculations made by Sir James Gray to estimate the impact speed necessary for a hypothetical 600 - pound (270 kg) swordfish to embed its sword 3 feet in the timbers of ships, as has been known to occur; the figure seems to have entered the literature without question as though someone had actually timed a swordfish at that speed . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Shortfin mako shark </Td> <Td> 72 km / h (45 mph) </Td> <Td> Underwater and unimpeded by a fishing line, the Shortfin Mako has been reliably clocked at 31 miles (50 kilometres) per hour, and there is a claim that one individual of this species achieved a burst speed of 46 miles (74 kilometres) per hour . But it is extremely difficult to get a fish in the wild to swim in a straight line over a measured course . Laboratory measurements of numerous kinds of fishes--representing a wide range of body sizes--swimming against an artificial current have revealed a surprisingly uniform maximum burst speed of about 10 times the body length per second . Thus, for an average - sized, 6.5 - foot (2 - metre) Shortfin, its theoretical maximum speed might be something on the order of 45 miles (72 kilometres) per hour . Yet some estimates of the top - speed of a Shortfin Mako are considerably higher . </Td> </Tr> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Animal </Th> <Th> Maximum speed </Th> <Th> Notes </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Mexican free - tailed bat (in flight) </Td> <Td> 7001444444444444444 ♠ 160 km / h (99 mph) </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cheetah </Td> <Td> 109.4--120.7 km / h (68.0--75.0 mph) </Td> <Td> The cheetah can accelerate from 0 to 96.6 km / h (60.0 mph) in under three seconds, though endurance is limited: most cheetahs run for only 60 seconds at a time . When sprinting, cheetahs spend more time in the air than on the ground . See Sarah, the fastest cheetah . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Pronghorn </Td> <Td> 7001245833333333333 ♠ 88.5 km / h (55.0 mph) </Td> <Td> The pronghorn (American antelope) is the fastest animal over long distances; it can run 56 km / h for 6 km (35 mph for 4 mi), 67 km / h for 1.6 km (42 mph for 1 mi), and 88.5 km / h for 0.8 km (55 mph for 0.5 mi). </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Springbok </Td> <Td> 7001244444444444444 ♠ 88 km / h (55 mph) </Td> <Td> The springbok, an antelope of the gazelle tribe in southern Africa, can make long jumps and sharp turns while running . Unlike pronghorns, springboks are poor long - distance runners . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Wildebeest </Td> <Td> 7001223611111111111 ♠ 80.5 km / h (50.0 mph) </Td> <Td> The wildebeest, an antelope, exists as two species: the blue wildebeest and the black wildebeest . Both are extremely fast runners, which allows them to flee from predators . They are better at endurance running than at sprinting . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Lion </Td> <Td> 80.5 km / h (50.0 mph) </Td> <Td> The lion (Panthera leo) It is the second fastest wild cat with a top running speed of 80.5 km / h though it lasts only for very short bursts and can be highly exhausting, hence they have to be close to their prey before starting the attack . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Blackbuck </Td> <Td> 7001222222222222222 ♠ 80 km / h (50 mph) </Td> <Td> The blackbuck antelope can sustain speeds of 80 km / h (50 mph) for over 1.5 km (0.93 mi) at a time . Each of its strides (i.e., the distance between its hoofprints) is 5.8--6.7 m (19--22 ft). </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hare </Td> <Td> 7001223520000000000 ♠ 80 km / h (50 mph) </Td> <Td> Hares can reach maximum speeds of 35 mph (56 km / h) in short distances of approximately 90 meters, and a top speed of 50 mph (80 km / h) for about 20 meters . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Greyhound </Td> <Td> 7001205555555555555 ♠ 74 km / h (46 mph) </Td> <Td> Greyhounds are the fastest dogs, and have primarily been bred for coursing game and racing . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Jackrabbit </Td> <Td> 7001200000000000000 ♠ 72 km / h (45 mph) </Td> <Td> The jackrabbit's strong hind legs allow it to leap 3 m (9.8 ft) in one bound; some can even reach 6 m (20 ft). Jackrabbits use a combination of leaps and zig - zags to outrun predators . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> African wild dog </Td> <Td> 7001197222222222222 ♠ 71 km / h (44 mph) </Td> <Td> When hunting, African wild dogs can sprint at 66 km / h (41 mph) in bursts, and they can maintain speeds of 56--60 km / h (35--37 mph) for up to 4.8 km (3 mi). Their targeted prey rarely escapes . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kangaroo </Td> <Td> 7001197222222222222 ♠ 71 km / h (44 mph) </Td> <Td> The comfortable hopping speed for a kangaroo is about 21--26 km / h (13--16 mph), but speeds of up to 71 km / h (44 mph) can be attained over short distances, while it can sustain a speed of 40 km / h (25 mph) for nearly 2 km (1.2 mi). The faster a kangaroo hops, the less energy it consumes (up to its cruising speed). </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Horse </Td> <Td> 7001196555555555555 ♠ 70.76 km / h (43.97 mph) </Td> <Td> The fastest horse speed was achieved by a thoroughbred . It reached 70.76 km / h (43.97 mph). </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Onager </Td> <Td> 7001194444444444444 ♠ 70 km / h (43 mph) </Td> <Td> The onager consists of several subspecies, which most likely share the same ability to run at high speeds . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Thomson's gazelle </Td> <Td> 7001194444444444444 ♠ 70 km / h (43 mph) </Td> <Td> Thomson's gazelles, being long - distance runners, can escape cheetahs by sheer endurance . Their speed is partially due to their "stotting", or bounding leaps . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Coyote </Td> <Td> 7001180555555555555 ♠ 65 km / h (40 mph) </Td> <Td> Coyotes can easily reach 48 km / h (30 mph), and can sprint at 65 km / h (40 mph) when hunting . Even when lacking a front foot, a coyote can still run at around 32 km / h (20 mph). </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Common dolphin </Td> <Td> 7001180555555555555 ♠ 65 km / h (40 mph) </Td> <Td> Common dolphins are the fastest marine mammal . When reaching their top speed, they take very short breaths . As an example, fin whales, which are much larger, can empty and refill their lungs in 2 seconds </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Zebra </Td> <Td> 7001177777777777777 ♠ 64 km / h (40 mph) </Td> <Td> Zebras have a home range anywhere between 11 and 232 sq mi (28 and 601 km) and they can travel 10 mi (16 km) a day while grazing . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Tiger </Td> <Td> 7001177777777777777 ♠ 64 km / h (40 mph) </Td> <Td> They live in jungles, and have been recorded going anywhere from 30 mph (48 km / h) to 40 mph (64 km / h), although only in short bursts . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Hyena </Td> <Td> 7001166666666666666 ♠ 60 km / h (37 mph) </Td> <Td> The hyena can run up to 60 km / h (37 mph); some attribute this performance specifically to the spotted hyena . They use their speed to chase their prey, sometimes traveling 15 mi (24 km) in a single chase . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Human </Td> <Td> Instantaneous max. 7001132100320000000 ♠ 47.56 km / h (29.55 mph) <P> Avg max over fastest 10 to 20m was 45 kmh / 28 mph Compared to other land animals, humans are exceptionally capable of endurance, but exceptionally incapable of great speed . </P> </Td> <Td> * Usain Bolt set the 100 m world record at 9.58 seconds . His absolute fastest recorded speeds (between individual strides) during that sprint were 13.2 meters / second (29.55 mph / 47.52 km / h) between strides during the 50m to 70m intervals . Average overall maximum speeds over this 20m section of the race (where max speed is reached during approx . the middle) to 75m were 44--45 km / h (28 mph) before tapering from 75m onwards . <Ul> <Li> Hicham El Guerrouj set the current men's mile run (5,280 feet / 1,609.344 metres) world record of 3: 43.13 . </Li> <Li> Svetlana Masterkova set the current women's mile run (5,280 feet / 1,609.344 metres) world record of 4: 12.56 . </Li> </Ul> <P> In the absence of significant external factors, non-athletic humans tend to walk at about 1.4 m / s (5.0 km / h; 3.1 mph) and run at about 5.1 m / s (18 km / h; 11 mph). Although humans are capable of walking at speeds from nearly 0 m / s to upwards of 2.5 m / s (9.0 km / h; 5.6 mph) and running 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) in 6.5 minutes, humans typically choose to use only a small range within these speeds . </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> African elephant </Td> <Td> 7000692912000000000 ♠ 24.9 km / h (15.5 mph) </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Animal </Th> <Th> Maximum speed </Th> <Th> Notes </Th> </Tr>

What is faster a gazelle or a cheetah