The world's fastest animal uses city skyscrapers as hunting cliffs
Animals
After nearly vanishing due to toxic pesticides, these raptors have traded mountain peaks for steel canyons, turning urban skyscrapers into the ultimate hunting platforms.
The peregrine falcon is a master of gravity, tucking its wings to dive at speeds exceeding 240 miles per hour. While they naturally nest on remote cliffs, these birds have discovered that the vertical concrete faces of city skyscrapers provide the perfect vantage point for spotting prey in the streets below. This urban shift is a remarkable comeback story; the species was once driven to the brink of extinction by the pesticide DDT, which turned their eggshells into brittle glass that crushed under the weight of nesting parents.