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SCIENCE

The Claim

The cheetah is the fastest land animal on Earth.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The cheetah is universally recognized as the fastest land animal by maximum sprint speed, with documented top speeds of 103–114 km/h. This is confirmed by Britannica, Guinness World Records, Imperial College London research, and peer-reviewed studies. The pronghorn excels at sustained endurance speed over longer distances, but "fastest land animal" conventionally refers to top sprint speed — and on that metric, the cheetah's title is uncontested.

Caveats

  • The cheetah's top speed is sustainable only over very short distances (roughly 30 seconds), after which it must rest; for sustained endurance speed, the pronghorn is superior.
  • Real-world observed hunting speeds in wild cheetahs are often significantly lower than their recorded maximum capability.
  • The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal overall (including air); the cheetah's title applies specifically to land animals.

The Receipts

  1. Cheetahs' unrivalled speed explained by their 'sweet spot' size, finds study | Imperial News

    Imperial News

  2. Can you outrun the world's FASTEST ANIMALS? - Guinness World Records

    Guinness World Records

  3. The Fastest Animals on Earth | Britannica

    Britannica

  4. How Fast Are Cheetahs? | Speed, Fastest Land Animal, & Facts | Britannica

    Britannica

  5. Wild cheetah accelerate fast and reach speeds of up to 58 miles per hour during a hunt

    ScienceDaily

  6. The 12 fastest animals in the world | BBC Science Focus Magazine

    BBC Science Focus Magazine

  7. What makes Cheetahs the fastest land animals? - The Times of India

    The Times of India

  8. What is the fastest animal on Earth? - Live Science

    Live Science

  9. Fastest Animal in the World: Land, Air, and Sea Speed Records - Visit Rwanda Gorillas

    Visit Rwanda Gorillas

  10. Cheetah Facts - Cheetah Conservation Fund United Kingdom

    Cheetah Conservation Fund United Kingdom

+ 3 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Cheetah

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