PEREGRINE FALCON: FASTEST ANIMAL ON EARTH. The peregrine falcon holds the record for the fastest dive speed of any animal. It can reach speeds over 240 mph when diving to catch prey, making it faster than a Formula 1 car.
WATER BOATMAN: LOUDEST ANIMAL RELATIVE TO SIZE. The tiny water boatman is just 2 mm long but can produce sounds up to 99 decibels, or as loud as a jackhammer. It does this by rubbing its penis against its abdomen in a process called stridulation.
ARCTIC TERN: LONGEST MIGRATION. The Arctic tern migrates from the Arctic to Antarctica and back every year, covering over 44,000 miles annually. That’s the longest known migration route of any animal on the planet.
MING THE CLAM: OLDEST KNOWN ANIMAL. A deep-sea ocean quahog clam nicknamed Ming was found to be 507 years old. Born in 1499, it lived through the entire Renaissance and was accidentally killed by researchers during a study.
DUNG BEETLE: STRONGEST ANIMAL. The horned dung beetle can pull over 1,100 times its body weight. That’s like a human dragging six double-decker busses. Pound for pound, it’s the strongest creature on earth.
