Top Five Animal Athletes

Malene Thyssen/Creative Commons

There are some pretty impressive vegetarian athletes out there, including Carl Lewis, the sprinter named “Olympian of the Century,” as well as four-times Mr. Universe Bill Pearl and MMA Strikeforce champion Jake Shields. But what about the impressive feats of nonhuman animal athletes? Some of their physical achievements put even the top human athletes to shame! Check out these animals’ jaw-dropping abilities:

Cheetahs: These speedy animals can accelerate from 0 to 96 kph in less than 3 seconds. They can hit up to 112 kph, and their bodies are designed to be wind-resistant, sleek, and balanced.

Fleas: The world’s greatest high-and long-jumper isn’t loved by many, but surely they’re worthy of acknowledgement for their astonishing jumping ability. Adult fleas can jump up to 220 times their own body length and 150 times their own body height—the equivalent of a human leaping 300 meters high. That’s pretty impressive!

Sea turtles: Leatherback sea turtles roam across thousands of kilometers of sea and have been found diving at depths of up to 1,200 meters, which is considered good going even by sea turtle standards!

Rhinoceros beetles: These little guys are super-strong. They can carry up to 850 times their own weight on their backs—making them the world’s best weight lifter relative to body weight.

Arctic terns: This hardy bird takes the prize for the best endurance athlete—traveling almost 20,000 miles each year in a migration from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back. These terns know how to fuel for a marathon, too, and they stock up on fat reserves for their trip so that they can avoid stopping for breaks.

Animals have adapted to their environments in some remarkable ways to give themselves the best possible chance of survival. We can help them make it by making changes in our own lives, such as going vegetarian and living cruelty-free—which gives animals, the environment, and our own bodies the respect and compassion that they deserve. Take the pledge and go vegetarian today, and you may find yourself feeling so great that you might want to try breaking some of these animal athletes’ records!

Posted by Claire Fryer