American Pronghorn

Antilocapra americana

The American pronghorn, commonly referred to as antelope, is the only living member of the Antilocapra family, making them a species unique to North America

All pronghorn have an orangey-tan or reddish tan coloration going across their upper bodies. Their chest, sides, and rump are white in color. Male pronghorn, in particular, have a black cheek patch. Both male and female pronghorn can grow horns, although male pronghorn have larger and more distinguished horns than females.

Phylum:

Chordata

Class:

Mammalia

Order:

Artiodactyla

Family:

Antilocapridae

Subfamily:

Antilocaprinae

Genus:

Antilocapra

Species:

americana

American Pronghorn Overview

Native or nonnative?

Native

Wyoming classification

Big game

Diet

Herbivore

Top Speed

50 mph

Terminology

Males are bucks, females are does, young are called fawns and a group of pronghorn is called a herd or band.

Lifespan

Typically 7 to 10 years in the wild

Size and Speed

On average, pronghorn weigh 90-150 pounds. At birth, fawns weigh between 5-7 pounds.

Pronghorn are the second-fastest mammal on earth, travelling at a top speed of roughly 50 miles per hour.

Adaptations

Pronghorn have large eyes positioned on the side of their head, providing for fantastic eyesight. They have a near 360-degree field of view and can usually spot an object that is moving up to 4 miles away.

A pronghorn buck and doe stand on the plains visually split by a single cottonwood in fall colors in the background.

Habitat

Pronghorn can be found in most parts of Wyoming that have flat grassland or sagebrush and gentle, rolling hills.

Pronghorn fun facts

Within the continental United States, pronghorn are known to have the longest land migration. Sometimes they will travel up to 150 miles one way.

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A pronghorn's sheath is made out of keratin, which is the same material that makes up human hair and nails.

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Due to their large liver size, pronghorn can eat plants such as lupine and locoweed that are often toxic to other ungulates.

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Although pronghorn can run very fast, they are not strong jumpers, and will often resort to crawling under fences rather than jumping over them when crossing.

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Pronghorn tracks can look similar in size to deer tracks, however, the back of a pronghorn track starts out wide and narrows toward the front of the track, and they do not have dewclaws.

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Predators of the pronghorn include coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, bears, golden eagles and humans.

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Within North America, Wyoming has the largest number of pronghorn-about 320,000.

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When in danger, the white hairs on a pronghorn's rump will stand on end, acting as a warning signal for other pronghorn.

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