100 Fastest Animals in the World

Xantus's Murrelet

85/100 speed profile. Xantus's Murrelet is a bird known for small black-and-white seabird body, fast low skimming flight, and night colony return to islands, which places it in A tier for this list.

Pigeon

84/100 speed profile. Pigeon is a bird known for fast homing flight memory, compact urban-adapted body, and strong flock navigation behavior, which places it in A tier for this list.

Roseate Tern

83/100 speed profile. Roseate Tern is a bird known for blush-white plumage, black cap, and graceful plunge-dive fishing, which places it in A tier for this list.

White Stork

83/100 speed profile. White Stork is a bird known for long red legs and bill, broad thermal-soaring wings, and nesting on high structures, which places it in A tier for this list.

Brown Pelican

83/100 speed profile. The brown pelican is a coastal seabird famous for plunge-diving into water to catch fish with its pouch bill, which places it in A tier for this list.

Greater Roadrunner

83/100 speed profile. The greater roadrunner is a fast ground bird of dry country, known for its long tail, crest, and pursuit of lizards, snakes, and insects, which places it in A tier for this list.

Barn Swallow

83/100 speed profile. Barn swallows are agile aerial insectivores known for forked tails, high-speed turning, and close ties to open landscapes and human structures, which places it in A tier for this list.

Hummingbird Hawk-Moth

82/100 speed profile. Hummingbird Hawk-Moth is a insect known for hovering nectar-feeding flight, long thin proboscis, and fast darting daytime movement, which places it in A tier for this list.

False Gharial

81/100 speed profile. False Gharial is a reptile known for long narrow fish-catching snout, river-specialist crocodilian body, and quiet blackwater ambush, which places it in A tier for this list.

Java Mouse-deer

81/100 speed profile. Java Mouse-deer is a mammal known for tiny delicate hoofed frame, slender pointed snout, and leaf-litter quickstep movement, which places it in A tier for this list.

Southern Cassowary

81/100 speed profile. The southern cassowary is a large flightless rainforest bird known for its helmet-like casque, powerful legs, and major role in moving large forest seeds, which places it in A tier for this list.

Bee Hummingbird

81/100 speed profile. Bee Hummingbird is a bird known for tiny jewel-like body, hovering flower feeding, and blazing wingbeat speed, which places it in A tier for this list.

Harlequin Duck

81/100 speed profile. Harlequin Duck is a bird known for bold slate-and-white pattern, white face crescents, and torrent-riding river dives, which places it in A tier for this list.

Ostrich

81/100 speed profile. The ostrich is the largest living bird, famous for long legs, huge eyes, and powerful running across open ground, which places it in A tier for this list.

Wood Duck

81/100 speed profile. The wood duck is a colorful forest duck known for ornate plumage, tree-cavity nesting, and strong maneuvering through wooded wetlands, which places it in A tier for this list.

Ibisbill

80/100 speed profile. Ibisbill is a bird known for downcurved coral-red bill, gray river-stone plumage, and swift braided-river running, which places it in A tier for this list.

Blue Duiker

80/100 speed profile. Blue Duiker is a mammal known for tiny blue-gray antelope frame, short spike horns, and leaf-litter darting escape, which places it in A tier for this list.

Red Kite

80/100 speed profile. Red Kite is a bird of prey known for forked tail, russet body sheen, and effortless scavenging and mouse-hunting glide, which places it in A tier for this list.

Smalltooth Sawfish

79/100 speed profile. Smalltooth Sawfish is a fish known for saw-like toothy snout, shallow coastal movement, and bottom-hunting glide, which places it in A tier for this list.

Sun Conure

79/100 speed profile. Sun Conure is a bird known for sun-bright orange and yellow plumage, fast noisy flock flight, and strong curved seed-cracking bill, which places it in A tier for this list.

King Vulture

79/100 speed profile. King Vulture is a bird known for multicolored bare head, broad high-soaring wings, and heavy carrion-opening bill, which places it in A tier for this list.

Clownfish

79/100 speed profile. Clownfish are reef fish known for bold orange-and-white patterning and their protective mutualism with sea anemones, which places it in A tier for this list.

Robin

79/100 speed profile. Robin is a bird known for compact songbird body, upright perch posture, and quick ground-hopping foraging, which places it in A tier for this list.

California Quail

79/100 speed profile. California Quail is a bird known for curled head plume, ground-running covey life, and quick burst flight, which places it in A tier for this list.

Red-tailed Hawk

79/100 speed profile. Red-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey known for broad soaring wings, brick-red tail, and high-perch hunting, which places it in A tier for this list.

Turkey Vulture

79/100 speed profile. The turkey vulture is a soaring scavenger known for long wings, red bare head, and exceptional scent-based detection of carrion, which places it in A tier for this list.

White-backed Vulture

78/100 speed profile. White-backed Vulture is a bird known for pale-backed soaring body, bare scavenger head, and carcass-searching thermal flight, which places it in A tier for this list.

Collared Falconet

78/100 speed profile. Collared Falconet is a bird of prey known for tiny falcon body, short hooked bill, and fast perch-and-dart attacks, which places it in A tier for this list.

Babirusa

77/100 speed profile. Babirusas are unusual Indonesian wild pigs famous for curved tusks, long legs, and specialized forest foraging in Sulawesi and nearby islands, which places it in A tier for this list.

Andean Condor

77/100 speed profile. Andean Condor is a bird known for enormous mountain wingspan, high-altitude soaring, and carrion-cleaning role, which places it in A tier for this list.

Gentoo Penguin

77/100 speed profile. Gentoo Penguin is a bird known for white head stripe, fast underwater swimming, and rocky colony nesting, which places it in A tier for this list.

Mandarinfish

77/100 speed profile. Mandarinfish is a fish known for electric blue and orange pattern, hovering reef glide, and tiny mouth for small prey, which places it in A tier for this list.

Peregrine Falcon

77/100 speed profile. The peregrine falcon is a high-speed hunting raptor famous for steep aerial stoops, pointed wings, and success in both wild cliffs and modern cities, which places it in A tier for this list.

American Dipper

77/100 speed profile. American Dipper is a bird known for stream-running songbird body, underwater walking ability, and bold cold-river foraging, which places it in A tier for this list.

Black Vulture

77/100 speed profile. Black Vulture is a bird known for dark broad-winged soaring, bare black scavenger head, and social roosting and carcass-search behavior, which places it in A tier for this list.

Panamanian Golden Frog

76/100 speed profile. Panamanian Golden Frog is a amphibian known for bright yellow body, semaphore foot-waving signals, and fast mountain-stream life, which places it in A tier for this list.

Wandering Albatross

76/100 speed profile. The wandering albatross is a huge oceanic seabird famous for immense wingspan, dynamic soaring, and long-distance travel over Southern Ocean winds, which places it in A tier for this list.

Black-browed Albatross

76/100 speed profile. Black-browed Albatross is a bird known for dark eyebrow line, long narrow gliding wings, and cliff-colony ocean soaring, which places it in A tier for this list.

Zone-tailed Hawk

76/100 speed profile. Zone-tailed Hawk is a bird of prey known for vulture-mimicking dark soaring silhouette, broad banded tail, and stealth approach over open country, which places it in A tier for this list.

Great White Pelican

76/100 speed profile. The great white pelican is a huge water bird known for broad wings, a giant pouch bill, and group fishing behavior, which places it in A tier for this list.

Eagle

76/100 speed profile. Eagles are large predatory birds recognized for exceptional eyesight, soaring flight, and powerful talons used to capture prey across open landscapes and waterways, which places it in A tier for this list.

Cheetah

75/100 speed profile. Cheetahs are lightly built sprinting cats designed for speed, visual tracking, and quick open-ground hunts rather than brute-force wrestling, which places it in A tier for this list.

Sword-billed Hummingbird

75/100 speed profile. Sword-billed Hummingbird is a bird known for bill longer than the body, hovering highland nectar feeding, and long narrow tail, which places it in A tier for this list.

Bombardier Beetle

75/100 speed profile. The bombardier beetle is famous for chemical defense, releasing a hot irritating spray from the tip of its abdomen when threatened, which places it in A tier for this list.

Squirrel Monkey

75/100 speed profile. Squirrel Monkey is a primate known for tiny fast canopy body, large group movement, and alert fruit-and-insect foraging, which places it in A tier for this list.

Great Frigatebird

74/100 speed profile. Great Frigatebird is a bird known for forked tail and giant wings, red inflatable throat pouch, and effortless ocean soaring, which places it in B tier for this list.

White-bellied Sea Eagle

74/100 speed profile. White-bellied Sea Eagle is a bird of prey known for broad white underbody, strong coastal soaring wings, and fish-snatching talons, which places it in B tier for this list.

Northern Gannet

74/100 speed profile. Northern Gannet is a bird known for torpedo-style plunge diving, large white sea bird body, and colony nesting on cliffs, which places it in B tier for this list.

Mahi-mahi

74/100 speed profile. Mahi-mahi is a fish known for electric blue-green open-water body, blunt high forehead, and fast floating-debris hunting, which places it in B tier for this list.

Emperor Penguin

73/100 speed profile. The emperor penguin is the largest penguin species, built for deep cold-water diving, severe Antarctic weather, and tightly coordinated breeding colonies on sea ice, which places it in B tier for this list.

Cinereous Vulture

73/100 speed profile. Cinereous Vulture is a bird of prey known for massive dark soaring wings, bare blue-gray head, and high cliff nesting, which places it in B tier for this list.

Bluefin Tuna

73/100 speed profile. Bluefin tuna are powerful oceanic fish built for sustained fast swimming, heat retention, and long-range movement through productive pelagic systems, which places it in B tier for this list.

Bald Eagle

73/100 speed profile. The bald eagle is a large North American raptor recognized by adult white head and tail plumage and strong association with large water bodies, which places it in B tier for this list.

Magnificent Frigatebird

73/100 speed profile. Magnificent Frigatebird is a bird known for forked tail for sky control, huge soaring wings, and aerial pirate feeding, which places it in B tier for this list.

Shortfin Mako

72/100 speed profile. Shortfin Mako is a fish known for torpedo-fast open-water body, crescent tail for speed, and sharp conical teeth, which places it in B tier for this list.

Wallace's Flying Frog

72/100 speed profile. Wallace's flying frog is a Southeast Asian tree frog known for oversized webbing, arboreal breeding, and gliding-style leaps between forest branches, which places it in B tier for this list.

Golden Eagle

72/100 speed profile. Golden Eagle is a bird known for broad mountain-soaring wings, powerful gripping talons, and long-range hunting vision, which places it in B tier for this list.

Red Squirrel

72/100 speed profile. The red squirrel is a quick tree-dwelling rodent known for bushy tails, nut caching, and agile climbing, which places it in B tier for this list.

Bat-eared Fox

72/100 speed profile. Bat-eared Fox is a mammal known for oversized listening ears, small quick fox body, and insect-heavy diet, which places it in B tier for this list.

Helmeted Guineafowl

72/100 speed profile. Helmeted Guineafowl is a bird known for speckled dark body, bare blue head with casque, and fast ground-running flock movement, which places it in B tier for this list.

Martial Eagle

71/100 speed profile. Martial Eagle is a bird of prey known for long broad wings, massive prey-gripping talons, and treetop strike dive, which places it in B tier for this list.

Great White Shark

71/100 speed profile. The great white shark is a large predatory fish built for fast bursts, strong bite force, and long-range sensory detection in temperate and subtropical seas, which places it in B tier for this list.

Onager

71/100 speed profile. Onager is a mammal known for lean desert equid build, large alert ears, and high-speed dryland movement, which places it in B tier for this list.

Yellow-throated Marten

71/100 speed profile. Yellow-throated Marten is a mammal known for gold throat and dark body, fast climbing mustelid frame, and bold daylight hunting, which places it in B tier for this list.

Kirk's Dik-dik

71/100 speed profile. Kirk's Dik-dik is a mammal known for tiny pointed muzzle, large dark eyes, and quick zigzag cover dashes, which places it in B tier for this list.

Patas Monkey

71/100 speed profile. Patas Monkey is a primate known for long running legs, open-savannah monkey lifestyle, and fast ground escape, which places it in B tier for this list.

Giant Trevally

71/100 speed profile. Giant Trevally is a fish known for deep silver predator body, explosive burst speed, and reef-edge schooling attack runs, which places it in B tier for this list.

Wahoo

71/100 speed profile. Wahoo is a fish known for torpedo-shaped blue body, tiger-like flank bars, and blistering open-water chase, which places it in B tier for this list.

Nine-banded Armadillo

71/100 speed profile. The nine-banded armadillo is a small armored mammal known for banded shell plates, digging behavior, and insect-feeding habits, which places it in B tier for this list.

California Condor

70/100 speed profile. The California condor is a giant soaring scavenger famous for its enormous wingspan and conservation comeback efforts, which places it in B tier for this list.

Coquerel's Sifaka

70/100 speed profile. Coquerel's Sifaka is a mammal known for sideways ground bounding, long balancing tail, and powerful vertical leaps, which places it in B tier for this list.

Goitered Gazelle

70/100 speed profile. Goitered Gazelle is a mammal known for light tan desert coat, slender ringed horns, and fast open-steppe sprinting, which places it in B tier for this list.

Atlantic Sailfish

70/100 speed profile. Atlantic Sailfish is a fish known for towering sail-like dorsal fin, bill-tipped hydrodynamic body, and high-speed pelagic hunting, which places it in B tier for this list.

Sedge Wren

70/100 speed profile. Sedge Wren is a bird known for tiny streaked marsh body, short rounded tail, and grass-stem nest weaving, which places it in B tier for this list.

Wedge-tailed Eagle

70/100 speed profile. Wedge-tailed Eagle is a bird known for long wedge-shaped tail, huge soaring frame, and heat-using open-country flight, which places it in B tier for this list.

Greater Grison

70/100 speed profile. Greater Grison is a mammal known for silver-backed mustelid body, short powerful legs, and quick aggressive ground chase, which places it in B tier for this list.

Rainbow Runner

70/100 speed profile. Rainbow Runner is a fish known for electric blue and yellow stripes, narrow fast-swimming body, and schooling pursuit, which places it in B tier for this list.

Dromedary Camel

70/100 speed profile. The dromedary camel is a one-humped desert animal built for heat, distance, and dry-country travel, which places it in B tier for this list.

Polar Bear

69/100 speed profile. Polar bears are Arctic marine bears specialized for sea ice hunting, insulation, and long-range movement between seal access points, which places it in B tier for this list.

Kiwi

69/100 speed profile. The kiwi is a flightless New Zealand bird known for hair-like feathers, strong legs, and nostrils at the tip of its long bill, which places it in B tier for this list.

Flying Dragon

69/100 speed profile. Flying Dragon is a reptile known for rib-supported gliding membranes, tree-to-tree aerial movement, and small canopy insect feeding, which places it in B tier for this list.

Caracal

69/100 speed profile. The caracal is a sleek medium-sized cat known for black ear tufts, strong jumps, and hunting in dry-country habitats, which places it in B tier for this list.

Hartebeest

69/100 speed profile. Hartebeest is a mammal known for elongated narrow face, high-shouldered running build, and sweeping open-plain vigilance, which places it in B tier for this list.

Zebra Mongoose

69/100 speed profile. Zebra Mongoose is a mammal known for dark body crossed with pale stripes, busy group foraging, and quick ground communication, which places it in B tier for this list.

Springbok

69/100 speed profile. Springbok is a mammal known for high bouncing pronk leaps, light desert-grassland build, and sharp open-country eyesight, which places it in B tier for this list.

Earless Monitor Lizard

68/100 speed profile. Earless Monitor Lizard is a reptile known for bead-scaled dark brown body, small external-earless head, and secretive streamside burrowing, which places it in B tier for this list.

Indri

68/100 speed profile. Indri is a mammal known for black-and-white upright body, long carrying forest calls, and vertical trunk-clinging leaps, which places it in B tier for this list.

Blackbuck

68/100 speed profile. Blackbuck is a mammal known for spiraled horns on males, fast bounding movement, and lightweight grassland body, which places it in B tier for this list.

European Hedgehog

68/100 speed profile. The European hedgehog is a small nocturnal mammal covered in spines and known for curling into a defensive ball, which places it in B tier for this list.

Sailfish

68/100 speed profile. Sailfish is a fish known for towering dorsal sail, high-speed open-water pursuit, and bill used in coordinated feeding, which places it in B tier for this list.

Common Kingfisher

68/100 speed profile. The common kingfisher is a small bright river bird built for perch hunting, rapid dives, and precision fish capture in clear shallow water, which places it in B tier for this list.

Tayra

68/100 speed profile. Tayra is a mammal known for long curious body, fast climbing ability, and omnivorous forest diet, which places it in B tier for this list.

Dung Beetle

68/100 speed profile. Dung beetles are nutrient-cycling insects known for rolling, burying, or tunneling dung and helping return organic material quickly to soil systems, which places it in B tier for this list.

Giant Ibis

67/100 speed profile. Giant Ibis is a bird known for long down-curved bill, deep dark body, and seasonal wetland probing walk, which places it in B tier for this list.

Black-and-rufous Elephant Shrew

67/100 speed profile. Black-and-rufous Elephant Shrew is a mammal known for long flexible probing snout, bright black-and-rufous coat, and quick leaf-litter running, which places it in B tier for this list.

Giant Anteater

67/100 speed profile. The giant anteater is a long-snouted South American mammal specialized for opening insect nests and sweeping up ants and termites, which places it in B tier for this list.

Cuttlefish

67/100 speed profile. Cuttlefish are intelligent cephalopods known for rapid color change, hovering control, and sophisticated body signaling in coastal marine habitats, which places it in B tier for this list.

Marabou Stork

67/100 speed profile. Marabou Stork is a bird known for huge scavenging body, bare adaptable head, and slow soaring flight, which places it in B tier for this list.

European Robin

67/100 speed profile. The European robin is a small songbird known for its orange-red breast, upright posture, and bold behavior around gardens and woodland edge, which places it in B tier for this list.

Kowari

66/100 speed profile. Kowari is a mammal known for brush-tipped tail, big insect-hunting eyes, and sand-burrow desert sprint, which places it in B tier for this list.