WaleedDo Cheetah is the fastest running animal in the world. They can hit 100 miles per hour in just 5 seconds—almost the speed of a Ferrari car. Generally, cheetahs hunt at a speed of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) but it varies in between 100 and 120 kilometer per hour. They are however capable to achieve 70 – 75 miles per hour but scientists are probably not sure about the top speed of a cheetah. Let’s see the top speed of a cheetah.
How Fast Can a Cheetah Run? – Cheetah Max Speed
While cheetah’s body is primarily built for the maximum acceleration, they can maintain their top speed only in short bursts. Unlike most other fastest-moving animals, cheetahs can accelerate up to 47 miles per hour in just 2 seconds.
Pronghorn runs at 55 miles per hour so does the springbok but these animals cannot reach their top speed in seconds—something that cheetahs are quite capable of. Cheetahs can cover 22 feet in a single stride. The speed at which the cheetah moves is about 1.9 – 2.5 miles per hour.
The hunting speed of a cheetah is just not the same as when it runs in a straight line. Normally Thomson’s gazelle is the cheetah’s most favored prey. Gazelles do not run in a straight line. They will escape in a zig-zag manner while running through the dense vegetation.
Like a gazelle cheetah must also change its direction quickly to maneuver its body according to the prey. B doing so, cheetah is likely to lose its maximum speed. Thus, scientists are pretty sure that cheetah might not accelerate to its top speed during hunting.
Cheetah’s Speed as Compared to other Big Cats
|
Name |
Picture |
Top Speed of other Cats |
Cheetah Top Speed |
|
TIGER |
 |
49–65 km/h (30–40 mph) |
70 – 75 mph |
|
SNOW LEOPARD |
 |
55 miles per hour |
70 – 75 mph
|
|
LEOPARD |
|
58 km/h (36 mph) |
70 – 75 mph
|
|
JAGUAR |
 |
80 km/h (50 mph) |
70 – 75 mph
|
| LION |  |
80 km/h (50 mph) |
70 – 75 mph
|
How Fast Can a Cheetah Run Mph in 100 meters
- In 2001, a South African male cheetah ran 100 meters in just 19 seconds. The name of the cheetah was Nyana.
- In 2009, another cheetah named Sarah broke the world record by covering 100 meters in just 13 seconds.
- In 2015, the same cheetah named Sarah broke her own record of being the fastest runner in 100 meters. She ran 100-meter dash in just 95 seconds. Currently, it is the world record.
- Sarah is bred in Cincinnati Zoo and it reaches a top speed of 61 miles per hour in 100 meters.
- The fastest human runner, Usain Bolt covered 100 meters dash in 9.58 seconds. Sarah was 4 seconds faster than the fastest human runner in a 100-meter dash.
How Fast Can a Cheetah Run in 3 Seconds
- Cheetah runs 30 meters in one second but her every other stride gets bigger than the previous one to gain the top speed.
- If a cheetah covers 30 meters in one second then it probably hits 90 meters in 3 seconds.
