SortStack #2864 — 2034-04-12

By speed · Order from slowest to fastest.

1. The growth of a cave stalactite 0.1 mm/year

   Most stalactites lengthen by less than a tenth of a millimetre a year, dripping mineral by mineral over millennia.

2. A honeybee in flight 22 km/h

   Bees communicate the direction of flowers by dancing, encoding distance and angle in their waggling moves.

3. A gentoo penguin swimming 36 km/h

   Gentoos are the fastest underwater birds, porpoising in and out of the water to breathe without slowing down.

4. A luge slider 140 km/h

   Luge athletes steer a tiny sled with subtle leg and shoulder pressure while lying on their backs, feet first.

5. A car cruising the German autobahn 200 km/h

   Parts of Germany's autobahn have no speed limit, where ordinary sedans legally travel faster than racetracks allow elsewhere.

6. A record tennis serve 270 km/h

   The fastest serves leave the racket so quickly the returner must react before the ball has even crossed the net.

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