Animals

PRONGHORN

The Pronghorn is the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridaeis and is found nowhere else in the world. While often called the Pronghorn Antelope, it is not a true antelope. It is a unique animal with no close relatives.

Pronghorn live exclusively on the Great Plains. While their numbers have dropped, they are not currently endangered. Since they eat poisonous plants such as larkspur and locoweed, many cattle ranchers encourage them to graze their rangeland in order to reduce these undesirable plant species.

All Pronghorn have black horn sheaths, but those of the males are larger with side prongs. Horn sheaths are different from both deer antlers and true cow horns. Antlers are made of bone and shed annually. True horns are made of compressed hair and never shed. Horn sheaths are a bit of both... made of keratin growing on a bony core and shed annually.

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play...

The fur ranges from light to deep brown with prominent white stomach and rump patches.

The Pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in North America (up to 60 mph), and the second fastest in the world (second only to the cheetah). However, they are very poor jumpers and prefer to crawl under fences instead of going over them.

Pronghorn can detect movement up to 3 miles away, and have a 320 degree field of vision.

Baby Pronghorn can walk in less than an hour after being born, and can outrun a man when four days old.




animals pikas prairie dogs marmots badgers rabbits voles tree squirrels ground squirrels chipmunks beavers muskrats bears coyotes deer elk bison bighorn sheep PRONGHORN geese water birds common birds mountain birds birds of prey land birds butterflies bees & bugs lizards others		PRONGHORN The Pronghorn is the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridaeis and is found nowhere else in the world. While often called the Pronghorn Antelope, it is not a true antelope. It is a unique animal with no close relatives. Pronghorn live exclusively on the Great Plains. While their numbers have dropped, they are not currently endangered. Since they eat poisonous plants such as larkspur and locoweed, many cattle ranchers encourage them to graze their rangeland in order to reduce these undesirable plant species. All Pronghorn have black horn sheaths, but those of the males are larger with side prongs. Horn sheaths are different from both deer antlers and true cow horns. Antlers are made of bone and shed annually. True horns are made of compressed hair and never shed. Horn sheaths are a bit of both... made of keratin growing on a bony core and shed annually. Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play... The fur ranges from light to deep brown with prominent white stomach and rump patches. The Pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in North America (up to 60 mph), and the second fastest in the world (second only to the cheetah). However, they are very poor jumpers and prefer to crawl under fences instead of going over them. Pronghorn can detect movement up to 3 miles away, and have a 320 degree field of vision. Baby Pronghorn can walk in less than an hour after being born, and can outrun a man when four days old.