Speed of fastest animal (peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus in stoop)

Range >320 km/hour
Organism Metazoa animals
Reference Ponitz B, Schmitz A, Fischer D, Bleckmann H, Brücker C. Diving-flight aerodynamics of a peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). PLoS One. 2014 Feb 5 9(2):e86506. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086506. abstractPubMed ID24505258
Method Abstract: "...individual F. peregrinus were trained to dive in front of a vertical dam with a height of 60 m. The presence of a well-defined background allowed [investigators] to reconstruct the flight path and the body shape of the falcon during certain flight phases. Flight trajectories were obtained with a stereo high-speed camera system. In addition, body images of the falcon were taken from two perspectives with a high-resolution digital camera. The dam allowed [them] to match the high-resolution images obtained from the digital camera with the corresponding images taken with the high-speed cameras. Using these data [they] built a life-size model of F. peregrinus and used it to measure the drag and lift forces in a wind-tunnel."
Comments Abstract: "This study investigates the aerodynamics of the falcon Falco peregrinus while diving. During a dive peregrines can reach velocities of more than 320 km/h." 389 km/h according to Wiki link
Entered by Uri M
ID 112867