Cheetahs get the headlines. Who's actually #2? Ranked by top recorded speed.
| 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.[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.[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.[1]