- This animal is native only to North America.
- It is unique and does not have a genetic relative on the planet today.
- This animal has remained unchanged for more than 10,000 years.
- It has out-survived the Wooly Mammoth, Shot Faced Bear and Dire Wolf.
- This animal is the second fastest animal on the planet running at speeds of nearly 60 miles per hour, second only to cheetahs. However, they are capable of maintaining their speed for far greater distances than cheetahs.
- This animal will not jump over anything.
- The Great Plains of North America was once home to more than 30 million.
- Native Americans depended on this favorite animal for food.
- This animal is most often referred to by the wrong name.
- It has been called an antelope, a goat and prairie slug.
- This animal has a simple one word name, Pronghorn.
For all the above reasons and because they are beautiful, I have studied the North American Pronghorn over the years. It is not easy to write a Blog post when my head is full of the Pronghorn’s history, ecology, behavior, population studies and conservation efforts. All this information is not easy to condense and is why I only used the key points above.
Here are a few photos I have taken over the years. Enjoy! Charlie
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- This is a typical buck. The black horn grows over a bone that protrudes from the scull. The bone is permanent. The black sheath is lost each year and a new sheath grows each year. This is totally different from deer, elk and moose that lose the entire antler and start over by growing a new set of antlers from a bud on the skull.
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- This is a typical doe grazing while the buck lays close by. It is close to mating time and the buck doesn’t want to miss out!
