Who is the fastest?

Let's meet three animals and learn how they move!

1. Fastest on land: Cheetah

The cheetah is the fastest runner on land. It can run very, very fast for short times — about 60–70 miles per hour (97–113 km/h). Imagine running as fast as a car on a neighborhood street!

2. Fastest in the sky: Peregrine falcon

The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in the whole world when it dives from the sky to catch food. It can dive at about 200–240 miles per hour (320–386 km/h). That's much faster than most cars on a highway! If we talk about normal flying (not diving), the common swift is one of the fastest in level flight at about 70 miles per hour (113 km/h).

3. The one who likes to stay put: Sloth

Sloths move very slowly and love to hang in trees. They go about 0.15 miles per hour (0.24 km/h). That means a sloth might take a long time to move from one branch to another — very relaxed!

Why are they different?

- Cheetahs have long legs and a light body for fast running.
- Falcons fold their wings and tuck their bodies to zoom down fast.
- Sloths save energy by moving slowly and staying in trees.

Fun little game (try with a grown-up):

• Run very fast like a cheetah for a few seconds (carefully!).
• Then flap your arms and pretend to swoop like a falcon.
• Finally, move very slowly like a sloth for one minute and see how that feels.