So, while the mite isn't exactly covering much ground, this tiny insect still clocks in about 20 times faster than a cheetah, Science Daily reports. But a cheetah wasn't the previous record holder in this category. It was actually the Australian tiger beetle, which can cover 171 body lengths per second. Samuel Rubin, the student who measured the mite's speed, says the finding was "so cool" - but could also be useful. "Looking deeper into the physics of how they accomplish these speeds could help inspire revolutionary new designs for things like robots or biomimetic devices," he says.
Interested! Read about another new record-holder: the world's deepest-diving mammal!!