Fastest animals
The fastest land animal is the cheetah, which has a recorded speed of . The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird and the fastest member of the animal kingdom with a diving speed of . The fastest animal in the sea is the black marlin, which has a recorded speed of .
Bat flight
Bats that consume insects by hawking (aerial pursuit and capture) must be able to travel at fast speeds, and must employ a high level of maneuverability. Morphological adaptations that favor this style of flight include high wing loading, long and pointed wingtips, and wings with high aspect ratios. The bat family Molossidae is considered highly specialized at hawking, with unusually high aspect ratios and wing loading. These traits make them capable of incredibly-fast speeds. Mexican free-tailed bats are thought to be the fastest animal on earth, capable of horizontal flight speeds over a level surface up to 160 km/hr (99 mph).