How Fast Can Animals Run?

            A few years ago, the American scientist and explorer, Roy Chapman Andrews came to India as the leader of an expedition team. One day as he was driving a jeep near the India Nepal border, he saw a Cheetah. Startled by the jeep, the Cheetah began to run, and he gave it a chase. In spite of driving at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, he still lagged behind. Even at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, the animal was ahead of the jeep before it finally disappeared into the jungle.

Cheetah, the fastest land animal, can run up to a speed of 96-101 kilometers per hour on a level ground

            Over short distances, i.e. up to 550 meters or 600 yards the cheetah or a hunting leopard in the open plains of east Africa, Iran, India, Turkemenia and Afghanistan can attain a maximum speed of 96-101 kilometers per hour 60-63 miles. Blackbuck comes next. It is a kind of deer. The third place goes to Mongolian gazelle and the pronghorn- the two species of deer. They can run at a speed of 95 kilometers 60 miles per hour. Lion occupies the fourth place. It can run at a speed of 88 kilometers 55 miles per hour.

            Rabbit and fox can run at a speed of about 75 kilometers 47 miles per hour. Horse, zebra and grey-hound can run at the speed of 64 kilometers 40 miles per hour. Buffalo and hare can run at the speed of 55 kilometers per hour, while giraffe and wolf at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour. The elephant can run at about 40 kilometers per hour. Kangaroo and sheep can run at a speed of 64 and 25 kilometers respectively while camel and pig can run at 18 kilometers per hour. The speeds of the four-legged animals given above are based on the conclusions of a large number of researchers.

            These animals cannot sustain these speeds for a very long time. At the most, they can cover a distance of a few hundred meters at these speeds.