0:00:06 > 0:00:09Welcome to my Deadly Top 10...
0:00:13 > 0:00:16..a chance to choose the top ten fiercest,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21fastest, most tactical, toxic and well-armed animals on the planet.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28All deadly in their own world and sometimes deadly to me.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Who do you think will be number one of my Deadly Top 10?
0:00:38 > 0:00:44In this countdown, I'm choosing my Top 10 Fastest Predators.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Oh!
0:00:46 > 0:00:50Rocket-powered, turbo-charged, Top Gear-style hunters
0:00:50 > 0:00:54who use high velocity to catch up with their prey.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01But it's not just about being the fastest runner,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04there are some truly speedy surprises to watch out for
0:01:04 > 0:01:06as we race for number one.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Don't blink, you might miss them.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16The first animal in my Top 10 Fastest countdown
0:01:16 > 0:01:18doesn't even have any legs.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Number ten, the black mamba,
0:01:21 > 0:01:23the fastest snake in the world.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Is that a snake or a branch?
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Oh, it's incredibly speedy. Look at that - lightning.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45What an awesome creature.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52The world's fastest snake
0:01:52 > 0:01:57is a black mamba and, at first sight, it seems like a crazy name.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01I mean, look at it, it's a kind of a dull olive-brown colour.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Why would you call it a black mamba? Until it gapes at you and you see
0:02:05 > 0:02:09the inside of that mouth which is the most perfect black,
0:02:09 > 0:02:14and that black tongue as well. What an incredibly evil-looking sight.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16This is a very venomous snake,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20so I've got to try and keep my distance from it. Look at that.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23I mean, he's holding his entire body up
0:02:23 > 0:02:27probably two or three feet off the ground.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32The secret to their speed is rapid-fire serpentine motion.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36They throw coils of their body quickly from side to side.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Each grips like the treads of a tyre.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44It needs to be fast as it often lives and hunts out in the open.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49Its speed is great for chasing down prey or for escaping predators.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57At top whack, these guys can go at over 10 mph.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00That's fast enough to keep me on my toes.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02That's a good jogging pace,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06incredible for an animal with no legs.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10It is so quick, the movements are so unpredictable.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Fastest snake in the world, sounds pretty good to me.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30In at number nine, it's a speedy hunter
0:03:30 > 0:03:33I'm sure you will never guess.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Lightning fast and rather surprising.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47These gruesome tentacles are, in fact, a nose
0:03:47 > 0:03:51belonging to the star-nosed mole.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55So how does a starry snout turn a mole into a racer?
0:03:55 > 0:03:57He might look slow,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01but equipped with such a slippery, slimy, sensational nose,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04he can hoover up prey at record-breaking speed.
0:04:07 > 0:04:13In fact, he's actually the fastest foraging animal in the world
0:04:13 > 0:04:15and this is how he does it.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24The nostrils are surrounded by 22 fleshy, fingery tentacles
0:04:24 > 0:04:27which allow the mole to sense the world by touch
0:04:27 > 0:04:28at an astonishing rate.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Unbelievably, it can touch 13 separate areas of the ground
0:04:33 > 0:04:38and demolish four items of prey every second.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43Each wriggling tentacle is covered in thousands of tiny nodules,
0:04:43 > 0:04:48sensitive enough to detect one grain of salt in a bucket of sand.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54The rapid-moving tentacles pass a three-dimensional picture
0:04:54 > 0:04:56of the soil to the mole's brain,
0:04:56 > 0:05:01allowing it to instantly see the walls of its tunnel like a map.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06A sixth-sense scanning machine, whizzing, sucking and whirling.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11Absolutely nothing can escape this greedy, high-speed snuffler.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Slimy worms and hairy bugs are located and guzzled up
0:05:15 > 0:05:17in the blink of an eye.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Down here in the underworld of the northern USA, anything that wriggles
0:05:22 > 0:05:27is victim to the mighty mole and its high-speed scanner of a snout.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Snapping in at eight
0:05:33 > 0:05:36is a fantastically-fast tropical crustacean,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39the sharp-shooting mantis shrimp.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Blink and you'd miss its supersonic strike.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48I wonder if I can get this Bornean one to give us a demonstration.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Oh!
0:05:55 > 0:06:01The mantis shrimp strikes and he's back in his hole.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Mantis shrimps use their front claws as weapons
0:06:04 > 0:06:10to create a lightning strike which can smash or spear their prey.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Oh!
0:06:13 > 0:06:15They're so fast!
0:06:19 > 0:06:23So how fast is its strike?
0:06:25 > 0:06:30Using an underwater force meter and a special high-speed camera,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32I can reveal some pack a punch
0:06:32 > 0:06:36equivalent to the acceleration and force of a bullet.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Mantis shrimps have excellent eyesight too, which they use
0:06:41 > 0:06:44to locate targets and to take aim.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48They need accuracy and speed as their prey is often armoured
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and very difficult to crack.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Crab pincers can snip off an antenna or an eye,
0:06:56 > 0:07:01but they're not able to withstand firepower of this magnitude.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04A couple of hammer blows and the crab is stunned.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09The mantis shrimp can then dine in the safety of its burrow.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Smart and speedy, it's a winning combination.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17What a wacky race this is turning out to be!
0:07:17 > 0:07:19A racing snake,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21a super-speedy mole
0:07:21 > 0:07:26and a shrimp as fast as a bullet. It's another surprise at seven.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31I'm asking the kids to compete with the adults.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34The speedy, jet-propelled dragonfly nymph
0:07:34 > 0:07:37is pitted against the fast-flying dragonfly adult.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43The dragonfly is a strange beast, two creatures in one,
0:07:43 > 0:07:48spending its youth underwater as a nymph and its adult life in the sky.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51So which stage is the fastest predator?
0:07:55 > 0:07:59The baby dragonfly nymph spends its days zipping around the pond
0:07:59 > 0:08:03at top speed, chasing its favourite prey, tadpoles.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10No bigger than a jelly baby, but a fearsome-looking hunter,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14it's equipped with a jet-propelled rear end which allows it
0:08:14 > 0:08:18to get right up close to its victims.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21But it's the high-speed hidden weapon hidden under its chin
0:08:21 > 0:08:24which makes it deadly.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27It's an express missile which can only be deployed
0:08:27 > 0:08:29at point-blank range.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Now only millimetres away,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38the nimble nymph uses hydraulic technology
0:08:38 > 0:08:40to draw water into its jaw.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44The pressure begins to build until it reaches bursting point.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47The two clasps holding its jaws shut
0:08:47 > 0:08:52give way and it fires out the bottom half of its face.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Its prey is history.
0:08:59 > 0:09:00This speedy hunter
0:09:00 > 0:09:04can wrap its jaws around anything and everything within range.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Gruesome but gobsmacking.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13So how does that high-speed jaw
0:09:13 > 0:09:16compare to the winged tyrant of the river bank?
0:09:16 > 0:09:19After a miraculous transformation,
0:09:19 > 0:09:25the nymph emerges as a natural beauty, but looks can be deceptive.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29This is a voracious aerial assassin.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Dragonflies can fly at up to 36 mph in any direction,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38forwards, backwards, sideways.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41A stunt pilot of the insect world,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43with the manoeuvrability of a helicopter
0:09:43 > 0:09:46and the speed of a fighter plane.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Slowed down 400 times,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53we can see how they move their two pairs of wings independently
0:09:53 > 0:09:57to twist and turn, beating up to 30 times a second.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59This allows them to do battle with their own kind
0:09:59 > 0:10:01in territorial disputes.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07But the main reason they need these aeronautical skills
0:10:07 > 0:10:11is to snatch their nimble prey from the sky.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15Their jaws act like shears,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18slashing vertically and horizontally,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20dicing the victim's flesh.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24So, which generation do you think is fastest?
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Nifty nymph or flying-ace adult?
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Though the killer kids are super-cool, they all grow up
0:10:30 > 0:10:33into the amazing fighter flies.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36For their agile, razor-rapid flight,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40the dragonfly adults pip them to the post,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42but only just.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47My next animal is a super striker,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50number six, the tongue-tying chameleon.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54The chameleon's most deadly skill
0:10:54 > 0:10:57is all down to how it catches its insect prey,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01with one of the fastest tongues in the whole animal kingdom.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09The tongue can be longer than its body,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13it has a sticky tip that can envelop an insect,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17and it can fire out in one 125th of a second.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20Oh!
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Ahhh!
0:11:25 > 0:11:27The chameleon's famous tongue
0:11:27 > 0:11:30is one of the world's most perfect insect traps.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38This high-velocity tongue is much more complex than yours or mine.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43When a chameleon is ready to strike,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46it pushes the tongue into launch position.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Muscles contract to propel the tongue forward
0:11:49 > 0:11:52like a ballistic missile,
0:11:52 > 0:11:57accelerating five times faster than an F-16 fighter jet.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01A fraction of a second before impact,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04the end of the tongue forms a suction cup,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06ripping the insect from its perch.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Then it recoils back into the mouth
0:12:11 > 0:12:15and steel-trap jaws and needle teeth finish the job.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20All of these precise actions are coordinated and completed
0:12:20 > 0:12:22in the blink of an eye.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Well, let's catch our breath.
0:12:29 > 0:12:35We've had a speedster snake, a super-snuffling mole,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37a sharp-shooting shrimp,
0:12:37 > 0:12:42fighter-plane flies and a missile-tongued chameleon.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46Can you guess who's competing next as we race towards number one?
0:12:50 > 0:12:56Shooting into slot five it's the pit viper,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58a snake with a ferociously-fast strike.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05This is the wonderful eyelash pit viper.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Even if you're someone who absolutely hates snakes,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15you have to admit that that is a really beautiful animal.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18But they are also highly-adapted hunters.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22It depends totally on the swiftness of its strike
0:13:22 > 0:13:24to catch and kill its prey.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Typical food for the eyelash pit viper would be something like
0:13:27 > 0:13:29a small mouse, perhaps a bat,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32they'll even catch hummingbirds on the wing.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35The core body temperature of a bird or a small mammal
0:13:35 > 0:13:37is around about 38 degrees,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40so what I've got here is a balloon filled with water
0:13:40 > 0:13:42that's almost exactly that temperature.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44I'm going to move it in close to the viper
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and hopefully I'll get it to strike towards the balloon.
0:13:47 > 0:13:53Here we've got our mini-cam set up and ready to record at high speed.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55That means we should see the strike
0:13:55 > 0:13:58slowed right down and be able to really appreciate
0:13:58 > 0:14:01quite how awesome it is. Right, let's give it a go.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08HE LAUGHS
0:14:10 > 0:14:12That was amazing.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14What do you reckon, Nick? You think you got it?
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Yeah, definitely that time, mate.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Let's see.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Incredible. Absolutely incredible.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30You saw the mouth open almost so that it was fully wide like that,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34almost as if it was creating a stabbing kind of shape
0:14:34 > 0:14:37rather than a downward strike,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41and the fangs were almost used like daggers to pierce into the balloon.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43That was amazing.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Pit vipers come in a range of colours,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50but they all need hyper-fast reactions
0:14:50 > 0:14:52to strike their nimble prey.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59On an island in Japan, pit vipers only have one chance a year
0:14:59 > 0:15:01to catch small migrating birds.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05If they miss, they starve.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11Each spring, the snakes climb up into the trees and wait.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15These branches are ideal for an ambush.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19The birds are only here for two weeks, so every snake
0:15:19 > 0:15:22is desperate to catch its dinner.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Pit viper strikes may be lightning-fast,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27but so are bird reactions.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32But serpent firepower ultimately beats fast feathers.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36They then swallow their meal whole.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Sharp-shooting, super-swallowing...
0:15:40 > 0:15:42what a snake!
0:15:45 > 0:15:49At four, it's fantastically-fast fin power
0:15:49 > 0:15:52belonging to the tuna, a living torpedo.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Tuna are some of the most rapid fish in the sea.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04They are underwater rockets when hunting sardines.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Almost all fish are cold-blooded,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21but tuna fish can warm up their blood like us,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24which means their muscles have extra power.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Combine this with superb streamlining and you have a fish
0:16:27 > 0:16:32which can swim twice as fast as a human athlete can run.
0:16:33 > 0:16:39At top whack, they swim at over 40 mph.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44The cold-blooded sardines are completely overrun.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49The big enemy of anything trying to travel fast in water is drag.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51That is the force of the water holding you back
0:16:51 > 0:16:53as you try and move forwards.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56To get around that, you need to be streamlined.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59In the air, that's called being aerodynamic,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01in the water, hydrodynamic.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04The tuna is just about the most perfect example
0:17:04 > 0:17:06of a hydrodynamic fish.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I, on the other hand, am not that streamlined,
0:17:09 > 0:17:14so theoretically, if I was to get in there and try and travel fast,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16I should be hammered by drag.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21So we already know that tuna can swim at 40 mph,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23which is almost 40 knots.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Let's see how fast I can go.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29OK, Captain, hit it.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37You can see as we start to build up speed automatically,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40the water is pushing back against me
0:17:40 > 0:17:43and I'm really, really struggling to hold on.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- I'm actually already losing my trunks! - HE LAUGHS
0:17:47 > 0:17:51I don't think I tied them on quite strong enough.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53We can go a bit faster.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56No! I'm good!
0:17:56 > 0:17:58What speed are we at, boys?
0:17:58 > 0:18:01That's 4.7 knots, Steve.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Well, I've still got hold of the rope,
0:18:04 > 0:18:06- but... - HE SPLUTTERS
0:18:06 > 0:18:08How fast now?
0:18:08 > 0:18:10- What's that?- 6.8.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16OK, 10 mph. Ah!
0:18:19 > 0:18:21- I've lost my trunks! - He's lost his trunks!
0:18:23 > 0:18:25I hope you can't see my bottom.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30OK, so we're now going about a tenth of the speed
0:18:30 > 0:18:34that a tuna can go, full whack.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37It's almost pulling my arms out of my sockets
0:18:37 > 0:18:39and I'm absolutely knackered.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44My trunks disappeared hours ago
0:18:44 > 0:18:48and I really hope no-one is watching round here
0:18:48 > 0:18:51because I'm going to get arrested.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54I lost my trunks at around 4 knots.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58A tuna snaps up dinner at 40 knots.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00No contest.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Time for the final leg of the race.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11We've had slitherers, snafflers, strikers and swimmers -
0:19:11 > 0:19:14now it's time for an awesome record-breaker.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18At number three, it's the fastest bird in the sky...
0:19:19 > 0:19:22..the peregrine falcon,
0:19:22 > 0:19:28an eagle-eyed champion who needs ultra-high speed to catch its prey.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32It can spot a pigeon from several miles away
0:19:32 > 0:19:37and closes the gap between them by flying at death-defying speeds
0:19:37 > 0:19:39of up to 200 mph.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46It hits its target with the accuracy of a bullet...
0:19:51 > 0:19:55..and in order to show you exactly how they manage this,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I've got to take to the skies.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06I've seen peregrines in action many hundreds of times over the years,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10I've even been hunted by one myself, but this is the first time
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I've actually got an opportunity to actually feel how it is
0:20:13 > 0:20:18to be a peregrine falcon and find out what really makes them top gun.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21I'll admit I'm a tiny bit nervous.
0:20:21 > 0:20:22This is going to be scary.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Let's go head to head.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Here we go!
0:20:33 > 0:20:34When people say the peregrine
0:20:34 > 0:20:37is the fastest creature that's ever lived,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39they're not talking about just in normal flight,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41it's when it's doing what's called a stoop.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45That's the dive that it takes on to catch its prey.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46They'll bank up high,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50often getting right up into the sun so their prey can't see them,
0:20:50 > 0:20:51and then fold their wings
0:20:51 > 0:20:54and bolt down like a torpedo towards the Earth
0:20:54 > 0:20:59and that's when they get up to their most incredible speeds.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01In order to do that and not pass out,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04they have special baffles in their nostrils
0:21:04 > 0:21:07which stop the wind putting pressure on their brain and on their lungs.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09And it's during these dives
0:21:09 > 0:21:13that they reach incredible speeds of up to 200 mph.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16So how will I cope?
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Ohhh!
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Oh, my goodness!
0:21:21 > 0:21:22Oh!
0:21:23 > 0:21:28I think we pulled about 5g there in that upward pull,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31and for the peregrine, that would be totally effortless,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34that's part of its everyday life,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37but for me, I can just feel my whole bodyweight
0:21:37 > 0:21:41being pulled back into the plane and the force of gravity pulling on me.
0:21:43 > 0:21:49That's crazy. Ohhh!
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Oh, that really turns your stomach.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I often thought that if I was going to be one animal in the world,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02it would be a bird of prey like a peregrine,
0:22:02 > 0:22:07that has the ability to fly under these incredible forces,
0:22:07 > 0:22:12but after feeling how this makes you feel, I'm not so sure any more.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Its stunning skydiving skills
0:22:15 > 0:22:19makes the peregrine the fastest flying assassin.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26Now, no speedy top ten would be complete without my next contender,
0:22:26 > 0:22:33number two, the cheetah, the fastest runner on Earth.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Not me, the other one with all the spots.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41I met a friendly captive cheetah in South Africa
0:22:41 > 0:22:44and tried to persuade her to race me.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46And we're off!
0:22:48 > 0:22:51She doesn't seem to be taking this very seriously.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55This cheetah is more of a playful pussycat,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57not much sign of the ultimate speed machine here.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Where are you going?
0:23:00 > 0:23:02This way.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05She just doesn't seem bothered.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11But out on the plains of Africa, it's a very different story,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15especially for a mother with hungry young cubs to feed.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Luckily, they won't starve,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21as she is a super-specialised speed hunter.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23She has 0-60 acceleration
0:23:23 > 0:23:28as good as a Porsche, a Mercedes or a Lamborghini,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31but she can't run fast for very long,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34so she has to stalk up as close as she can.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42She has to get within 30 metres.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Her prey, gazelles, are incredibly fast too.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Three strides in, she's at 40 mph.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06He special spine and massive legs
0:24:06 > 0:24:09give her a giant stride of seven metres,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12three times the stride of a human Olympic sprinter.
0:24:15 > 0:24:21She achieves top speed, a record-breaking 71 mph.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26But the turbo-charged cheetah has a massive problem.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29She can only sprint for about 300 metres.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31It's 30 seconds until she burns out.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34Her body temperature rockets.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38If she continues much longer, she could die.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42All she has to do is trip the gazelle up
0:24:42 > 0:24:44and her cubs won't starve.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59They get their meal and Mum gets a rest.
0:24:59 > 0:25:05After her sprint, she has to rest for half an hour.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07She pays a high price for her speed.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11So if the fastest land animal is number two
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and we've had the peregrine at three,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17can you guess who I've chosen as number one?
0:25:18 > 0:25:21It's a high-velocity, high-impact surprise.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26Time for the Top 10 Fastest countdown.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Twisting ten, it's the black mamba.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Nosy nine, the star-nosed mole is fine.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Expressive eight, the mantis shrimp's great.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Speedy seven, dragonfly heaven.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43Super-shooting six, chameleon-tongue tricks.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Flashy five, the pit viper.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Fin-powered four, torpedo tuna.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Turbo-charged three, the peregrine falcon.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Terrific two, the cheetah.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58So who has won the Top 10 race?
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Any ideas?
0:26:00 > 0:26:04A clue - it dives into the sea.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Number one is the gannet, the dive-attack king.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12You might think they look like giant seagulls,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16but you wait until you see their high-speed stunt.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20They are big, beautiful, fast-flying birds...
0:26:22 > 0:26:27..with two-metre wingspans. That's greater than I am tall.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31They fly for hundreds of miles over the ocean looking for fish,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33but it's their high-speed dive attack
0:26:33 > 0:26:36that makes them so incredible.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46They can plunge into the sea from heights of 30 metres -
0:26:46 > 0:26:51that's three times the height of the Olympic high dive -
0:26:51 > 0:26:56rocketing into the water at speeds of up to 70 mph.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Such high-speed impact risks a broken neck.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07By pulling its wings right back with the beak straight down,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09the gannet becomes a spear.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14They even have air sacks built into their heads and chest
0:27:14 > 0:27:18which they inflate as they dive.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Total impact protection.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23So for its breakneck speed, precision diving
0:27:23 > 0:27:27and incredible air-to-water transformation,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31this living spear is my super-speedy, deadly-diving,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34high-impact number one.
0:27:37 > 0:27:43Don't forget to join me next time for more Deadly Top 10s.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Who is going to be deadly number one?
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:48 > 0:27:51E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk