Best Animal Athletes

DOG CAN JUMP

THE FASTEST FAST CAT

Cheetahs are the fastest land mammals, and Sarah the cheetah is the fastest cheetah, so she is literally the best of the best. Sarah was clocked at the Cincinnati Zoo running faster than any other cheetah on record. She completed a hundred meter dash in an impressive 6.13 seconds. Your move, Usain Bolt. (UPI)

SERIOUS SWIMMING

Nicole the great white shark laughs in the face of 400-meter swims. She is the first recorded shark to make a round-trip ocean crossing, traveling from Africa to Australia and back again. Nicole completed this massive 12,400-mile trip in nine months. We can only imagine what her travel journal looks like. (National Geographic)

GOATS ON THE GO

Skateboarding hasn't made it into the Olympics yet, but Happie is holding out hope. The wooly sweetheart on four wheels is the goat that has traveled farthest by skateboard. Happie has covered 118 feet in single board session. Maybe she should try hanging 10 with these guys. (Google News)

WHEN THE PIGS FLEW

A certain swine had his time in the sky when he broke the record for the highest jump made by a pig. Kotetsu made the leap at a farm in Japan, flying 27.5 inches into the air, before coming back down on all four hooves. (Guinness World Records)

HOOFING IT 

It's no wonder Secretariat has been a sports and culture star for so long. This animal had some serious horsepower. Secretariat still holds the fastest running time for the Kentucky Derby. In 1973, he completed the 1 1/4 mile track in one minute and 59 seconds. In that same year, Secretariat also won the Triple Crown and received the Horse of the Year award. (About)

RIGHT ON TARGET

Here's a record that would probably be tough for any Olympian to beat: balloon popping. Anastasia the Jack Russell Terrier was able to bite and paw her way through a 100 balloons in only 44.49 seconds. With that kind of acurracy, maybe she should take up archery. (Balloon Popping Dog)

HOP TO IT 

We have seen some high jumpers, but how about those that really go the distance? Record-breaking frog It's Cheaper to Leap Her knows all about that. She is the current record holder of the longest jump at the Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee. Mrs. Leap Her covered 20 inches of space before making her landing. That is one giant leap for frogkind. (Calaveras County Fair)

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

Watch out for this speed demon. Archie the snail is zooming by the competition at the World Snail Racing Championships. Archie holds the title of fastest snail, after completing the 13-inch race in a astounding two minutes and 13 seconds. Now there is a true sprinter. (Snail Racing)

CAT-ROBATS

Felines have a tendency to land on their feet and squeeze themselves into the weirdest spaces, but agility courses really put a cat's skills to the test. These kitty obstacle courses include a complex series of hoops, tunnels and jumps. But the challenges are no match for a cat on the prowl. Current record holder Zoom completed the competition-approved course in 9.97 seconds. (ICAT)