The Americas, which encompasses North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, has a huge variety of landscapes \u2013 and therefore animals.<\/p>\n
From imposing mountains to desert plains and tropical beaches, these habitats provide a home for all sorts of creatures.<\/p>\n
But have you ever wondered what the fastest land mammal in the Americas is?<\/p>\n
The fastest terrestrial mammal found in the Americas is the pronghorn. While it\u2019s commonly called an American antelope, its closest living relatives are the\u00a0giraffe\u00a0and\u00a0okapi.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the only surviving member of the Antilocapridae family, which are a family of\u00a0ruminants\u00a0endemic to North America. They are commonly found in western North America, ranging from Alberta (in Canada) and into Mexico.<\/p>\n
The pronghorn can reach speeds up to 55 mph (88.5 kmph). It\u2019s thought to have evolved a larger cardiopulmonary system in order to reach these speeds to evade the now-extinct North American\u00a0cheetah\u00a0and American\u00a0lion.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s thought that the\u00a0cheetah\u00a0could outpace a pronghorn in a short sprint, pronghorns are built for endurance running, so could outrun a cheetah in stretches of over 800 metres.<\/p>\n