The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on Earth

The peregrine falcon is not only the world’s fastest bird but the fastest animal of any kind. In level flight it is merely quick, but when it climbs high and folds its wings into a hunting dive called a stoop, it can reach an estimated 320 km/h (200 mph) as it plunges toward prey.

That speed comes with engineering problems the bird solves anatomically. Small bony cones inside its nostrils, called tubercles, slow and redirect the rushing air so its lungs aren’t overwhelmed, while a translucent third eyelid sweeps the eye clear at full velocity.

The most extreme figure on record belongs to a trained falcon named Frightful, clocked at 389 km/h (242 mph) in a 1999 dive after release from an aircraft. Wild stoops are harder to measure, but even conservative estimates leave every land animal far behind.