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Q: What is the fastest land animal?A:...

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Q: What is the fastest land animal?

A: The cheetah is universally acknowledged to be fastest, but its top speed has remained the subject of debate, with estimates ranging as high as 71 mph. N.C.C. Sharp of Brunel University in England reported recently in Nature on a study in which he timed a cheetah on three successive runs over a 220-yard (201.2-meter) course. The adult cheetah chased a piece of meat in the back of a vehicle and was given a running start before entering the course. The average time for the course was 7 seconds, which gives a speed of 64 mph. Among humans, the world record is 19.32 seconds for 200 meters.

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