Lex wanted to know if he was faster than an elephant, so I told him I would have to look it up. Now, if I could only find how fast Hercules is (which is always the follow up). For future reference, here it is . . .
Speed of Animals
Most of the following measurements are for maximum speeds over approximate quarter-mile distances. Exceptions—which are included to give a wide range of animals—are the lion and elephant, whose speeds were clocked in the act of charging; the whippet, which was timed over a 200-yard course; the cheetah over a 100-yard distance; humans for a 15-yard segment of a 100-yard run; and the black mamba snake, six-lined race runner, spider, giant tortoise, three-toed sloth, and garden snail, which were measured over various small distances.
Animal Speed(mph)
Peregrine falcon 200.00+
Cheetah 70.00
Pronghorn antelope 61.00
Lion 50.00
Thomson's gazelle 50.00
Wildebeest 50.00
Quarter horse 47.50
Cape hunting dog 45.00
Elk 45.00
Coyote 43.00
Gray fox 42.00
Hyena 40.00
Ostrich 40.00
Zebra 40.00
Mongolian wild ass 40.00
Greyhound 39.35
Whippet 35.50
Jackal 35.00
Mule deer 35.00
Rabbit (domestic) 35.00
Giraffe 32.00
Reindeer 32.00
Cat (domestic) 30.00
Kangaroo 30.00
Grizzly bear 30.00
Wart hog 30.00
White-tailed deer 30.00
Human 27.89
Elephant 25.00
Black mamba snake 20.00
Six-lined race runner 18.00
Squirrel 12.00
Pig (domestic) 11.00
Chicken 9.00
House mouse 8.00
Spider (Tegenearia atrica) 1.17
Giant tortoise 0.17
Three-toed sloth 0.15
Garden snail 0.03
Source: Natural History Magazine, March 1974, copyright 1974; The American Museum of Natural History; and James G. Doherty, general curator, The Wildlife Conservation Society.
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