The World's Fastest Dog Vs. The World's Fastest Cat [Video]
Greyhound Running, Mid-Stride Wikimedia Commons Run run run run run run run run run The cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, can race up to 75 mph for short bursts. The greyhound is the fastest canid, and the second-fastest land animal, with a peak speed of about 43 mph. Cool facts! Now let's watch them run in super slow motion. Note that while cheetahs and greyhounds are very, very different animals, they've independently evolved to have very similar running styles. Both animals use what's called a rotary gallop, in which the leg hitting the ground moves in a circle: front left leg, then front right, then hind right, then hind left. This is the natural running style of dogs, cats, and some ungulates like deer and elk, but different than that of horses (which are built for endurance rather than sprinting speed). They also have a similar two-phase gait: in the first,...