Both the tortoise and the snail have earned the reputation of being the slowest animals. But sometimes the question arises: which is actually faster—the tortoise or the snail? It turns out that the speed of these animals has long been measured, and an absolute record holder for slowness has been identified.
The maximum speed of a turtle
If a turtle is frightened, it moves much faster than its average speed.
The speed of a turtle's movement depends on many factors, such as the species of animal and its age. Young turtles move more slowly than older ones, while marine turtles can move quickly in water, but on land they are almost helpless. Turtles move on all fours, but their heavy shell prevents them from doing so quickly, despite providing excellent protection.
The slowest representatives of the species are considered to be giant elephant tortoises, their maximum speed reaching only 4 km/h. Sea turtles are recognized as the fastest, reaching speeds of 35 km/h in water. The average speed of turtles, of which there are more than 330 species, is 15 km/h on land and about 25 km/h in water.
How fast does a snail move?
The snail became synonymous with laziness and slowness only in the Middle Ages, and before that the animal was considered a symbol of eternity and fertility.
The snail moves by contracting the muscles of its body, and mucus helps it a lot in this. But it's only used for grip on vertical surfaces. When moving horizontally, the mucus is secreted, but the snail doesn't use it because friction is much lower in this case.
The class Molluscs, which includes snails, includes representatives of 110 species. Their maximum speed is 80 cm per minute, which is equivalent to 0.0048 km/h. The average speed is 1.5 mm/s, which is 6 cm per minute, or 3.6 m/h.
Who is faster?
In some countries, snails are trained to break records in "running" competitions.
From the above speed figures it follows that even the slowest turtle is much faster than a snail. If you compare these data, the turtle literally flies past the snail.
However, to be fair, it should be said that if the snail were the size of a turtle, it would undoubtedly be faster.
Although many animals aren't particularly fast, they've adapted to survive in the wild with all the resources available to them. Slower animals have their own tactics that allow them to survive, and they seem to be doing quite well.
