Speed of Animals

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae
length weight top speed (swimming) feels like
47'6" 33.1tons 16.8mph 2.1mph

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a baleen whale. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water. Males produce a complex whale song, which lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and is repeated for hours at a time. The purpose of the song is not yet clear, although it appears to have a role in mating.

Animals: land air water insect
feet meters
Graph: top speed feels like

Imagine what it's like for a tiny insect to jump and fly as quickly as they do. They might cover 40 body lengths in a second. To a six-foot person that's 164 mph. This site tries to understand how it feels to move like a fly, a squirrel, a cat, a rhinocerous, or a falcon.

Similar Animals

bluefin tuna bluefin tuna
Thunnus orientalis
top speed 43.5 mph
feels like 39.1 mph

Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
top speed 21.7 mph
feels like 13 mph

California Sea Lion California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
top speed 13.4 mph
feels like 11 mph

Great White Shark Great White Shark
Carcharodon carcharias
top speed 24.9 mph
feels like 9.3 mph

Humpback Whale Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
top speed 16.8 mph
feels like 2.1 mph

killer whale killer whale
Orcinus orca
top speed 30 mph
feels like 9.3 mph

mako shark mako shark
Isurus oxyrinchus
top speed 31.1 mph
feels like 20 mph

sailfish sailfish
Istiophorus albicans, platypterus
top speed 68.4 mph
feels like 41 mph

striped marlin striped marlin
Tetrapturus audax
top speed 50.3 mph
feels like 25.9 mph

swordfish swordfish
Xiphias gladius
top speed 60.3 mph
feels like 51.7 mph

Tiger Shark Tiger Shark
Galeocerdo cuvier
top speed 19.9 mph
feels like 9.5 mph

wahoo wahoo
Acanthocybium solandri
top speed 47.8 mph
feels like 43.1 mph

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