Although the cheetah is one of the fastest animals on the planet, it is not the fastest. The Peregrine Falcon, or sometimes referred to as the Duck Hawk, in North America, is the fastest creature on the planet reaching speeds as high as 300 kilometres per hour (185 miles per hour).
The fastest speed ever recorded, to date, is three hundred and ninety kilometres per hour (two hundred and fourty-two miles per hour). The male Peregrine Falcon can weigh as much as seven hundred and ten grams and the female, larger than the male, can weigh up to one thousand one hundred and ninety grams.
Found on the endangered species list during the 1950's and 60's, the Peregrine Falcon is now breeding successfully and can be found amongst mountain tops, river valleys and coastlines all around the world. The only continent where these soaring birds of prey are not found is Antartica.
