Show SPEED OF INSECT FASTER THAN SOUND deer bot fly registers miles an hour washington D C when you yell wait you expect your yell to catch up with the yelled at person sooner than you could but the speed of sound is exceeded by the flight of an insect according to the scientist who timed the flight with a camera shutter racing results sound 1089 feet per second or a mile ii five seconds minus insect teet 1200 feet per second or the mile in four seconds plus winner insect otherwise known as a species of deer bot fly the idea of an insect flitting faster than its buzz is a wild one subject to taming by more scientific clocking says the national geographic society meanwhile the deer bot fly remains the speed champion of the world its speedometer would register about miles per hour it if it had bid a speedometer and could fly for a solid hour mans swiftest inventions would be also rans the airplane trailing along at about m p h and the racing auto at in p h wings make speed wings are a symbol for velocity and nature awards her speed records to flying creatures the duck hawk next to that streak of light ning insect has been timed as the fastest living thing on wings the speed of its cousin in the eastern hemisphere the peregrine falcon made it the ideal hunting hawk because it always overtook its prey other fliers which have such effectiveness ti veness in flight as to be the war planes of the bird world are the eagle and the vulture the well named swift is one of the swiftest the swallow too can figuratively swallow small distances whole in rapid flying wings also give speed to what has been called the fastest finned creature the flying fish it can take off with its tail and spread its fins for gliding in the air rapidly enough to escape becoming fish food for its swimming enemies other fast ones flying feet give speed to animal racers such as the antelope the gazelle and the deer to overt overtake them man had to use arrows and bullets the ostrich the emu and the giraffe too are fast afoot usually outdistancing a horseman the value of the hunting dog is its r rapid pursuit of the rabbit the fox and the wolf all of them speedy creatures racing for fun and nd not fo for 0 food is the job occasionally given to mans domestic animals the horse and the dog whippets Whip pets can whip up a track speed of a mile in two minutes and the greyhound can do as well or better for short distances a horse can race about 40 miles an hour the fastest speed made by man is only about half that of the horse the cheetah a member of the cat family however is the fleetest of animal runners |