Bing Quiz › Trivia answers › Fastest Land Animal
What Is the Fastest Land Animal?
What makes the cheetah so fast?
Cheetahs have a light, slim body, long legs and a very flexible spine that works like a spring, letting each stride cover around 7 m. Semi-retractable claws grip the ground like running spikes, and a long tail acts as a rudder in sharp turns. Enlarged nasal passages, lungs and heart supply oxygen during the chase.
The trade-off is stamina: a sprint heats the body so quickly that most chases last less than a minute, and cheetahs often need to rest before eating.
The runners-up
The pronghorn of North America is the second-fastest land animal and the best long-distance sprinter, able to hold high speeds for several kilometers. In the air, the peregrine falcon is the fastest animal of all, diving at more than 300 km/h. In water, sailfish and black marlin are among the fastest swimmers.
Mini Quiz: Test Yourself
5 quick questions on the same topic. This kind of question often shows up in the Bing Quiz.
Questions and answers
1 What is the fastest land animal?
- A Lion
- B Cheetah
- C Greyhound
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✓ Answer: B. Cheetah
Did you know? Cheetahs can top roughly 100 km/h.
2 Which North American animal is the second-fastest on land?
- A Coyote
- B Bison
- C Pronghorn
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✓ Answer: C. Pronghorn
Did you know? Pronghorns can hold high speeds for much longer than cheetahs.
3 What is the fastest animal in the world, counting dives?
- A Swift
- B Peregrine falcon
- C Bald eagle
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✓ Answer: B. Peregrine falcon
Did you know? Peregrines dive at over 300 km/h.
4 What limits how long a cheetah can sprint?
- A Poor eyesight
- B Overheating and fatigue
- C Weak claws
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✓ Answer: B. Overheating and fatigue
Did you know? Most chases last under a minute.
5 What does a cheetah's long tail help with?
- A Balance and steering
- B Attracting mates
- C Storing fat
Show answer
✓ Answer: A. Balance and steering
Did you know? The tail works like a rudder in sharp turns.
Related Questions
Is the cheetah faster than a car?
In acceleration it rivals many sports cars over short distances, but it cannot keep its top speed for long.
What is the fastest animal in the world?
The peregrine falcon, which dives at over 300 km/h (about 200 mph).
Where do cheetahs live?
Mostly in eastern and southern Africa, with a very small population of Asiatic cheetahs in Iran.