Bug Wiki
Bug Wiki / TOP lists / Fastest
TOP 50

The fastest bugs and friends

Top speed is the fastest a bug can go for a short dash. In the air, dragonflies and hawk moths are the champions. On the ground, even the fastest bug is slower than you!

In the air

  1. 1Seven-spot ladybirdLadybirds60 km/h (37 mph)
  2. 2Giant petaltailDragonflies and damselflies58 km/h (36 mph) estimate
  3. 3Tomato hornwormMoths57 km/h (35 mph) estimate
  4. 4Death's-head hawk-mothMoths55 km/h (34 mph) estimate
  5. 5Green darnerDragonflies and damselflies55 km/h (34 mph) estimate
  6. 6Privet hawk-mothMoths55 km/h (34 mph) estimate
  7. 7Pink-spotted hawk-mothMoths55 km/h (34 mph) estimate
  8. 8Pandora sphinxMoths54 km/h (34 mph) estimate
  9. 9Convolvulus hawk-mothMoths52 km/h (32 mph) estimate
  10. 10Giant hawkerDragonflies and damselflies52 km/h (32 mph) estimate
  11. 11Jumbo dragonflyDragonflies and damselflies52 km/h (32 mph) estimate
  12. 12Emperor dragonflyDragonflies and damselflies50 km/h (31 mph) estimate
  13. 13Tobacco hornwormMoths50 km/h (31 mph) estimate
  14. 14Poplar hawk-mothMoths50 km/h (31 mph) estimate
  15. 15Bush giant dragonflyDragonflies and damselflies50 km/h (31 mph) estimate
  16. 16Catalpa sphinxMoths49 km/h (30 mph) estimate
  17. 17Green marsh hawkDragonflies and damselflies48 km/h (30 mph) estimate
  18. 18Golden-ringed dragonflyDragonflies and damselflies47 km/h (29 mph) estimate
  19. 19Pine hawk-mothMoths47 km/h (29 mph) estimate
  20. 20DragonhunterDragonflies and damselflies47 km/h (29 mph) estimate
  21. 21American pelecinid waspWasps and hornets46 km/h (29 mph) estimate
  22. 22Elephant hawk-mothMoths45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  23. 23Oleander hawk-mothMoths45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  24. 24Tersa sphinxMoths45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  25. 25Lime hawk-mothMoths45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  26. 26Flame skimmerDragonflies and damselflies45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  27. 27Morgan's sphinx mothMoths45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  28. 28Bedstraw hawk-mothMoths45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  29. 29Eyed hawk-mothMoths45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  30. 30Spurge hawk-mothMoths45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  31. 31Striped hawk-mothMoths45 km/h (28 mph) estimate
  32. 32White-lined sphinxMoths44 km/h (27 mph) estimate
  33. 33Brown hawkerDragonflies and damselflies44 km/h (27 mph) estimate
  34. 34Southern hawkerDragonflies and damselflies43 km/h (27 mph) estimate
  35. 35Blue-eyed darnerDragonflies and damselflies43 km/h (27 mph) estimate
  36. 36Australian emperorDragonflies and damselflies43 km/h (27 mph) estimate
  37. 37Long-tailed skipperButterflies42 km/h (26 mph) estimate
  38. 38Hine's emeraldDragonflies and damselflies41 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  39. 39Northern giant hornetWasps and hornets40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  40. 40Widow skimmerDragonflies and damselflies40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  41. 41Common darterDragonflies and damselflies40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  42. 42Four-spotted chaserDragonflies and damselflies40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  43. 43Common picture wingDragonflies and damselflies40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  44. 44Vagrant darterDragonflies and damselflies40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  45. 45Migrant hawkerDragonflies and damselflies40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  46. 46Scarlet skimmerDragonflies and damselflies40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  47. 47Violet dropwingDragonflies and damselflies40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  48. 48Crimson marsh gliderDragonflies and damselflies40 km/h (25 mph) estimate
  49. 49Eastern cicada killerWasps and hornets39 km/h (24 mph) estimate
  50. 50Tarantula hawkWasps and hornets39 km/h (24 mph) estimate

On the ground

  1. 1Giant red-winged grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets16 km/h (9.9 mph) estimate
  2. 2Egyptian giant camel spiderScorpions, ticks and friends not an insect16 km/h (9.9 mph) estimate
  3. 3Iberian camel spiderScorpions, ticks and friends not an insect16 km/h (9.9 mph) estimate
  4. 4Giant grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets15 km/h (9.3 mph) estimate
  5. 5Javanese grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets15 km/h (9.3 mph) estimate
  6. 6Eastern lubber grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets14 km/h (8.7 mph) estimate
  7. 7Egyptian grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets14 km/h (8.7 mph) estimate
  8. 8Grey bird grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets14 km/h (8.7 mph) estimate
  9. 9Migratory locustGrasshoppers and crickets13 km/h (8.1 mph) estimate
  10. 10American bird grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets13 km/h (8.1 mph) estimate
  11. 11Carolina grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets13 km/h (8.1 mph) estimate
  12. 12Two-striped grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets13 km/h (8.1 mph) estimate
  13. 13Differential grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets12 km/h (7.5 mph) estimate
  14. 14Koppie foam grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets12 km/h (7.5 mph) estimate
  15. 15Horse lubber grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets12 km/h (7.5 mph) estimate
  16. 16Green milkweed locustGrasshoppers and crickets12 km/h (7.5 mph) estimate
  17. 17Australian plague locustGrasshoppers and crickets11 km/h (6.8 mph) estimate
  18. 18Painted grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets11 km/h (6.8 mph) estimate
  19. 19Rainbow grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets10 km/h (6.2 mph) estimate
  20. 20Field grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets10 km/h (6.2 mph) estimate
  21. 21Pallid-winged grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets10 km/h (6.2 mph) estimate
  22. 22Red-legged grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets9.3 km/h (5.8 mph) estimate
  23. 23Blue-winged grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets8.9 km/h (5.5 mph) estimate
  24. 24Giant Malaysian katydidGrasshoppers and crickets8.2 km/h (5.1 mph) estimate
  25. 25Common green grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets7.6 km/h (4.7 mph) estimate

In the water

  1. 1Common pond skaterTrue bugs and cicadas5 km/h (3.1 mph) estimate
  2. 2Asian giant water bugTrue bugs and cicadas4.6 km/h (2.9 mph) estimate
  3. 3Giant water bugTrue bugs and cicadas4 km/h (2.5 mph) estimate
  4. 4Common backswimmerTrue bugs and cicadas2.1 km/h (1.3 mph) estimate
  5. 5Common water boatmanTrue bugs and cicadas2 km/h (1.2 mph) estimate
  6. 6Water scorpionTrue bugs and cicadas2 km/h (1.2 mph) estimate
  7. 7Great diving beetleBeetles1.9 km/h (1.2 mph) estimate
  8. 8Common water striderTrue bugs and cicadas1.9 km/h (1.2 mph) estimate
  9. 9Sea skaterTrue bugs and cicadas1.3 km/h (0.81 mph) estimate
  10. 10Great silver water beetleBeetles1.3 km/h (0.81 mph) estimate
  11. 11Sunburst diving beetleBeetles1.3 km/h (0.81 mph) estimate
  12. 12Lesser water boatmanTrue bugs and cicadas0.73 km/h (0.45 mph) estimate

How do we know how fast they are?

Timing a bug is hard! Only a few have been measured by scientists, with high-speed cameras or radar. Those numbers come from a study.

For all the others we made an estimate: we take the typical top speed of that kind of bug and its size. A big dragonfly is faster than a small one, a tiny ant slower than a big one. So treat these numbers as a good guess, not a stopwatch.

Speeds you know

  • A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)
  • A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
  • A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
  • A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
  • A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
  • A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)

Sizes are the biggest ones in our sources, and most top speeds are estimates. Only the bugs on Bug Wiki are counted, and there are millions more out there! Tap a bug to see where its numbers come from.