SortStack #988 — 2029-02-21

By speed · Order from slowest to fastest.

1. A foraging ant 800 m/h

   Ants leave scent trails so nestmates can retrace the exact path to food, like an invisible chemical map.

2. A scurrying hedgehog 6.4 km/h

   A startled hedgehog rolls into a tight ball, raising up to 6,000 spines that few predators dare to bite.

3. A racing snowmobile 190 km/h

   Snowmobiles can cross frozen lakes so fast they sometimes skip right across patches of open water.

4. A helicopter at top speed 290 km/h

   A helicopter's top speed is capped because the blade tips would approach the sound barrier and lose lift.

5. The core of a jet stream 442 km/h

   Pilots ride these high-altitude winds to save fuel, which is why eastbound flights are often much quicker.

6. A Boeing 747 cruising 920 km/h

   The 747's hump exists because the cockpit was put on an upper deck so the nose could hinge open for cargo.

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