Who’s the fastest land animal?

FOTA Wildlife Park is famous for its cheetahs; hundreds of cubs have been born there.

The Park’s ‘cheetah run’ is a special attraction, not just for visitors but for the cats themselves. Food, suspended from a hook, is moved at speed and the cheetahs chase after it just as they would when hunting down prey in the wild.

The cheetah is an ambush predator. Other big cats creep close to their victims before pouncing. The cheetah does likewise but the striking distance is much greater. Accelerating to 100km/h in less than three seconds, it can reach 130km/h in a 300m sprint, drawing 120 breaths per minute through extra large nostrils. A racehorse’s maximum speed is around 74km/h. The Jamaican runner, Usain Bolt, reached 44.72km/h, very briefly.