Animal World Records: The Fastest, Biggest, and Strongest

Tap a record to see which animal holds the title.

Fastest Animal Overall

Peregrine falcon — Capable of reaching speeds of roughly 389 km/h (242 mph) during a hunting dive, making it the fastest animal on Earth.

Fastest Land Animal

Cheetah — The fastest land animal on Earth, capable of reaching roughly 110 km/h (68 mph) over short distances, though it can't sustain that speed for long.

Fastest Aquatic Animal

Sailfish — Known to swim at speeds approaching 110 km/h (68 mph), making it the fastest fish in the ocean.

Largest Animal

Blue whale — Reaching roughly 30 meters (98 ft) in length and up to 190 tons in weight, believed to be the largest animal that has ever existed on Earth.

Smallest Mammal

Bumblebee bat (Kitti's hog-nosed bat) — At only about 3 cm (1.2 in) long, it's considered both the smallest mammal and the smallest bat in the world.

Strongest Animal Relative to Body Weight

Horned dung beetle — Capable of pulling more than 1,000 times its own body weight, making it the strongest animal on Earth relative to its size.

Fastest Strike

Mantis shrimp — Snaps its front claws with bullet-like acceleration, striking prey with a speed and force that rivals a fired bullet.

The Biologically "Immortal" Animal

Immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) — Able to revert from its adult form back into an immature polyp stage, making it, as far as we know, the only animal that does not die of old age.

The Animal Kingdom Is Full of Astonishing Records

Evolution has produced remarkable abilities suited to countless different environments. Looking beyond raw speed, size, and strength to strength-relative-to-body-size in particular, even a small insect can turn out to be just as record-breaking as an elephant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't a cheetah run at top speed for very long?

Sprinting at top speed generates a large amount of heat in its muscles almost instantly, so a cheetah can typically only sustain a full sprint for about 30 seconds or less.

Does the immortal jellyfish really live forever?

It can avoid death from aging, but it can still die from other causes, like being eaten by a predator or falling ill — so it isn't truly immortal in every sense.