As of November 2026, the cheetah is the fastest animal on land. It runs very fast, but only for a short way. It can hold its top speed for only about 20 to 30 seconds.

A cheetah's body helps it go. Its spine is flexible, so its front legs stretch far forward with each stride. In one stride it covers about 20 to 23 feet. Its claws grip the ground, like the cleats on a running shoe.

A cheetah has a long tail. The tail works like a rudder on a boat. It helps the cat steer and turn while it runs.

The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in the world, as of November 2026. Its record speed is in a dive, not on level ground. It dives on other birds from above. A hunting dive is called a stoop, and it can top 200 miles per hour.

An ostrich cannot fly. It is the fastest bird on the ground. It can sprint up to 43 miles per hour. It can keep up about 31 miles per hour over a long run. It takes huge steps, from 10 to 16 feet long.

A pronghorn lives on the grasslands of North America. As of November 2026, it is the second-fastest land animal. It is not really an antelope. It belongs to a family of its own. It can run fast for much longer than a cheetah can.

The Australian tiger beetle is only about 2 centimeters long. It is the fastest insect that runs on the ground. It can run about 125 body lengths in one second.

Words to know

• rudder: a steering part
• stoop: a falcon's dive
• sprint: short fast run
• stride: one big step