The reaction time of an untrained individual is typically between 200 and 300 milliseconds, compared to the average human blinking time of about 100 milliseconds. However, many animals react far faster than humans. In today's topic, we will introduce the 10 fastest-reacting animals in the world, including the Camilla ant, the spread-necked spider, the giant toothed ant, the hummingbird, the Portuguese man-of-war, fleas, and flies. Let's get to know them.
1. Camilla Mimic Ant (completes one bite in 0.023 milliseconds)
The Camilla miasma ant, commonly known as the vampire ant, is mainly distributed in Australia, Southeast Asia, and tropical Africa. They are among the fastest-opening and closing creatures on Earth. Statistics show that these ants can open their mandibles from a standstill in just 0.000015 seconds, equivalent to a speed of 320 kilometers per hour, or 5000 times the speed of a human blink. This incredible speed of stinging is astonishing. Their mandibles can accelerate to 320 kilometers per hour in 0.000015 seconds, possessing a powerful impact force capable of destroying and stunning many larger insects, such as termites, at close range. As of 2024, the Camilla miasma ant held the title of the fastest-reacting animal in the animal kingdom.
2. Spread-necked spider (completes one bite in 0.07 milliseconds)
For two years, the Zearchaea spider held the top spot on the animal agility rankings. In 2016, the prestigious journal *Current Biology*, part of the Cell family, published a remarkable study that systematically measured the bite speed of Zearchaea spiders using high-speed photography. The study revealed that the Zearchaea spider can complete a strike in an astonishing 0.12 milliseconds (the fastest time reached an astonishing 0.07 milliseconds, considering the average speed of three spiders). This bite speed set an unprecedented record. The force required for the most rapid attack is approximately 200 times the maximum force exerted by a human's leg muscles during a jump. This discovery broke the 10-year record held by the *Gyrodontia bournei*, highlighting the unique bite speed and power of Zearchaea spiders in the animal kingdom.
3. Giant-toothed ant (bites its prey in 0.13 milliseconds)
The giant toothed ant once held the record for the fastest nervous system reaction time among animals for 10 years. Scientific research indicates that these ants are among the fastest-attacking animals on Earth, and are considered one of the most lethal species within the ant colony. Studies show that the giant toothed ant can close its mandibles and bite its prey in just 0.13 milliseconds, a full 2300 times faster than a human blink. Moreover, this mandible-closing action is exceptionally powerful. Despite weighing only 12.1 to 14.9 milligrams, the force of its bite with each closure can reach 300 times its body weight. To vividly describe the speed and power of the giant toothed ant's jaw closure, imagine this analogy: their speed is equivalent to 125 to 233 kilometers per hour, completing their hunt in an instant.
4. Hummingbird (jumps within 0.2 milliseconds)
Hummingbirds are considered one of the smallest birds in the world and also one of the fastest animals, possessing astonishing reaction speeds. They can fly at speeds of up to 90 kilometers per hour, and when diving, they can break through to 100 kilometers per hour. Hummingbirds have one of the highest metabolic rates in the animal kingdom, with a heart rate of up to 500 beats per minute. Their muscles contract in flight in just 8 milliseconds, and each wing flap takes only 16 milliseconds. Don't forget, when hummingbirds are fleeing, their muscle reaction speed is even more astonishing, requiring only 4-10 milliseconds to react. And when hummingbirds encounter danger, their speed is even more rapid; they can leap in a mere 0.2 milliseconds, a movement so subtle that it's almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
5. Portuguese Mantis Jellyfish (attacks within 1 millisecond)
The Portuguese man-of-war exhibits astonishing reaction speed, making it one of the fastest predators in the animal kingdom. They rely on powerful muscles and a highly sensitive nervous system for rapid responses. Their long, slender tentacles, which can extend up to 30 meters in length, are their sharpest weapons. Each tentacle is covered with thousands of stinging cells, waiting for small fish to touch them. Once prey comes into contact with these deadly tentacles, the stinging cells spring like springs, releasing a highly toxic neurotoxin within one millisecond. The trapped fish is then pulled ashore, followed closely by the Portuguese man-of-war, while its feeding apparatus secretes digestive juices to complete the digestion and absorption process. This unique hunting method makes the Portuguese man-of-war an unparalleled predator in the ocean.
6. Fleas (reaction speed within 2 milliseconds)
Fleas are among the top ten most troublesome animals. These pests are widely distributed globally, with over 2,500 known species, including approximately 650 in China. Both male and female fleas are blood-sucking and extremely sensitive to temperature, only surviving and parasitizing when the host's body temperature is normal. If the host's body temperature rises or drops after death, the fleas will immediately migrate to another host to feed. This means that fleas on dogs, cats, and rats can also migrate to humans to feed.
Biological research shows that fleas have incredibly fast dorsal muscles that can react in as little as 2 milliseconds. Combined with their powerful thigh muscles, this gives them amazing jumping ability. This power allows them to quickly hop between different animals, making it easier for them to find new hosts.
7. Fly (takes flight in 7 milliseconds)
In the animal kingdom, flies are renowned for their agility, often causing headaches for humans. Scientists used high-speed cameras at 3000 frames per second to record the moment a fly takes off, and astonishingly discovered that houseflies take off five times faster than ordinary flies. In a mere millisecond, even the slowest fly takes off in no more than 39 milliseconds. Among the flies commonly encountered by humans, the slowest takeoff speed is no more than 14 milliseconds. Flies only need four wing flaps to complete takeoff, meaning that humans would need a mere 7 milliseconds to "kill" a fly.
However, humans perceive the outside world at a frequency of 60 Hz, compared to only 250 Hz for flies. This means flies receive four times more information per second than we do. This frequency difference means flies react much faster than humans, allowing them to evade our pursuit in many situations.
8. Star-nosed mole (the fastest-moving mammal)
Among mammals, one animal stands out as one of the most sensitive: the star-nosed mole. These animals are named for their distinctive 22 tentacles that gleam like stars. Using these tentacles that encircle their noses, the star-nosed mole can easily locate prey in complete darkness. Compared to other moles that rely solely on their sense of smell to hunt, their ability to detect prey is several times greater.
The star-nosed mole possesses an exceptionally sensitive sensory system, capable of detecting an animal's movement within as little as 8 milliseconds, earning it a Guinness World Record as one of the fastest predators. With over 100,000 surface nerve endings on its tentacles, the star-nosed mole excels at hunting small prey. From using its star-shaped appendages to detect and touch its prey to capturing it, the entire process takes only 0.2 to 1 second, demonstrating its high efficiency and speed in hunting.
9. Cockroach (hip muscle reaction time is 4-10 milliseconds)
Cockroaches possess a pair of unusually slender and long antennae, which function like antennas for detection. Their olfactory receptors are located on these antennae, enabling them to detect odors as faint as one part per million. Furthermore, each cerci has approximately 220 fine hairs, forming a type of wind receptor.
Whenever people try to catch a cockroach, it inevitably causes some air turbulence. The cerci at the end of the cockroach's abdomen are extremely complex vibration receptors, capable of sensing the direction of external stimuli. When fleeing, the cockroach's hip muscles react very quickly, in about 4 to 10 milliseconds, demonstrating their remarkable mobility and adaptability.
10. Lizard (responds to fast-moving objects in 10 milliseconds)
Lizards are truly amazing reptiles, earning the nickname "sprint champions" for their incredible speed. Despite being cold-blooded, lizards have relatively slow bodies and metabolisms, yet they can display astonishing escape abilities in a very short time, evading predators. In addition, lizards possess exceptional eyesight and hearing, using their long tongues to detect odors and track prey.
Lizards possess a keen ability to detect the location and movement of predators, reacting to rapidly moving objects and launching a hunting maneuver within approximately 10 milliseconds. These traits make lizards not only admirable creatures in the animal kingdom but also demonstrate their unique and outstanding survival skills.
A list of the 10 fastest-reacting animals in the world. This list is primarily based on animal reaction speed, and also references relevant rankings and lists found online. Data is as of June 4, 2024. This list is for entertainment purposes only; corrections are welcome in the comments.
