World’s Fastest Animal and Other Record-Breaking Animals (+Videos)

Amazing record breakers of the animal kingdom. The strongest animal is surprising.
4/19/2014
Updated:
4/23/2014

It’s faster than any creature on Earth or in the ocean’s depths. The peregrine falcon has been clocked moving as fast as 242 mph. It achieves this speed by flying downward in a powered dive, then folding up to slip through the air will little resistance. National Geographic filmed this record-breaking falcon dive in 2007 (Shown above). 

The peregrine falcon is common all over the world, except in Antarctica. These birds often live on skyscrapers and bridges in cities. The word peregrine means “having a tendency to wander,” according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, from the Latin root word peregrinus


Image of a peregrine falcon via Shutterstock

 

Fastest Fish


Image of a sailfish via Shutterstock

The sailfish is the world’s fastest fish, able to reach a speed of up to 68 mph. It usually hunts schools of fish, such as anchovies. Watch it in action:

Sailfish, fastest animal in the water - full version from Adriana on Vimeo.

 

Fastest Land Mammal


Image of a cheetah via Shutterstock

On land, no animal can beat the cheetah in a race. The cheetah can reach 60 mph in 3 seconds and it is capable of reaching 70 mph. It’s in for more of a sprint than a marathon. Using up much energy in it’s powerful run, it can’t run for long. 

 

Strongest Animal Is a Little Beetle


Image of a rhinoceros beetle via Shutterstock

This beetle has many different names, including elephant beetle and Hercules beetle. This tiny insect may be minuscule compared to many other creatures in the world, but looks can be deceiving. It can lift 850 times its own body weight, making it the strongest animal in the world.

 

Best Jumper


Image  of a Froghopper via Shutterstock

In the animal world, some pounce on prey, some jump sprightly from place to place. The froghopper insect is only about 0.2 inches in length, but it can jump 28 inches.

 

Longest Non-Stop Flight


Image of a bar-tailed godwit via Shutterstock

In 2007, a female bar-tailed godwit flew 7,145 miles (11,500 kilometers) non-stop from Alaska to New Zealand, breaking the record for the longest continuous flight.

In March, some 70,000 godwits make this journey, according to a National Geographic article from that time. Researchers tracked 16 of the birds and were amazed to find the record breaker only took one rest on the way to Alaska. On the way back to New Zealand, this bird was helped along by a tailwind and made the entire journey without pause. 

“It’s the equivalent of a human running at 70 kilometers an hour [43.5 miles an hour] for more than seven days,” Rob Schuckard of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand told National Geographic. 

 

With reporting by Epoch Times reporter Marieke Vos

Image of a peregrine falcon in the lead photo via Shutterstock