A knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, commonly used in maritime and aviation contexts. It is equivalent to approximately 1.15078 miles per hour (1.852 kilometers per hour). The knot is often used to measure the speed of ships, aircraft, and sometimes even game animals in certain contexts, such as during hunting or tracking.

When used to describe the speed of game animals, the term "knot" can help hunters or researchers estimate how fast an animal is moving, particularly in the case of birds or fast-moving prey. For example, some species of birds may fly at speeds measured in knots during migration or when evading predators. Similarly, hunters might reference the speed of a running animal, such as a deer or antelope, in terms of knots to convey how quickly it is moving.

However, while the knot is widely used in nautical and aviation measurements, it is less commonly used in day-to-day discussions about terrestrial animals, where miles per hour (mph) or kilometers per hour (km/h) are more typical units of measurement. Nonetheless, the knot provides a standardized way of expressing speed, especially in contexts involving both land and water travel.