Cheetahs get the headlines. Who's actually #2? Ranked by top recorded speed.
Pictured: a sprinting cheetah, #1 at 104 km/h.
| Rank | Animal | Top speed | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheetah | 104 km/h | Cat |
| 2 | Pronghorn | 88.5 km/h | Ungulate |
| 3 | Springbok | 88 km/h | Ungulate |
| 4 | Wildebeest | 80.5 km/h | Ungulate |
| 5 | Lion | 80 km/h | Cat |
| 6 | Blackbuck | 80 km/h | Ungulate |
| 7 | Thomson's Gazelle | 76 km/h | Ungulate |
| 8 | Quarter Horse | 77 km/h | Mammal |
| 9 | Brown Hare | 77 km/h | Mammal |
| 10 | Ostrich | 70 km/h | Bird |
No matching rows.
Built purely for speed: a flexible spine, non-retractable claws for grip, and an enlarged heart and lungs for oxygen. It can go 0–96 km/h in about three seconds — but can only hold top speed for 20–30 seconds before overheating.[1]
Native to North America and not a true antelope despite the resemblance. Unlike the cheetah, it can sustain high speed over long distances — likely an adaptation to outrun a now-extinct American cheetah.[1]
Known for "pronking" — explosive, near-vertical leaps performed while running at speed, thought to signal fitness to predators or warn the rest of the herd. It's South Africa's national animal, and its Afrikaans name — literally "jumping antelope" — also lent itself to the Springboks, the national rugby team.[1]
Famous for the annual Serengeti-Mara migration, in which over a million wildebeest travel in a massive circuit — speed and stamina are essential for surviving predator-filled river crossings. Also known as gnu, wildebeest come in two species — blue and black — that diverged from a common ancestor roughly a million years ago.[1]
Lions are ambush predators that usually stalk prey to close range rather than chasing over distance — but they can still hit a surprising burst of speed for a short dash. Their roar, the loudest of any big cat, can be heard up to 5 miles away and helps maintain the bonds of a pride, where females typically stay for life and do most of the hunting.[1]
Native to the Indian subcontinent, blackbuck pair speed with serious stamina. Males carry long, spiraling horns used in head-to-head clashes during the breeding season.[1]
Named after the Scottish explorer Joseph Thomson, "Tommies" lean on quick, zigzagging bursts rather than raw top speed to shake off cheetahs and other predators across the Serengeti. Serengeti numbers fell by nearly two-thirds between the early 1970s and the mid-1980s, and the species is now listed as Near Threatened due to hunting and habitat loss.[1]
The only domesticated animal on this list, bred specifically for explosive acceleration over short distances — its name comes from dominating quarter-mile races, where it can out-accelerate a Thoroughbred from a standing start. The American Quarter Horse Association, founded in 1940, is now the largest horse breed registry in the world, with more than 6 million registered horses.[1]
Britain's fastest land mammal, relying on sudden zigzagging sprints and powerful hind legs to outrun foxes and other predators across open farmland. It isn't even native to Britain — it was introduced from continental Europe around the Iron Age or Roman period — and its spring "boxing" matches, usually females fending off overeager males, inspired Lewis Carroll's March Hare.[1]
The fastest animal on two legs, and the only bird on this list. A single stride can cover up to 5 meters, powered by legs strong enough to deliver a kick that can kill a lion.[1]