ORDER

Artiodactyla (Even toed ungulates)

FAMILY

Antilocapridae (pronghorn antelope)

HABITAT AND RANGE

The pronghorn lives in grasslands, brushlands and deserts. The pronghorn lives in herds that change in size depending on the season. They can be found throughout Canada, West-Central United States and Western Mexico.

IDENTIFICATION

Pronghorns are medium-sized deer-like animals. They are pale reddish-tan in color with white cheeks, lower jaw, chest, belly and rump patch. Male horns are black and grow to 20 inches long with 1 short, broad prong on each; the outer sheath is shed once a year. Female horns are smaller (4 inches long) and lack the prong. Pronghorns stand 35-41” tall and weigh between 90-140 lbs for males and 75-105 lbs for females.

DIET

During the summer pronghorns graze on grasses, various plants, forbs and cacti. Adapted to desert environments, they require little water as they absorb it from the plants they eat. During the winter they eat various plants showing a preference to sagebrush. At the zoo they are fed sweet grain, browser maintenance diet and alfalfa.

REPRODUCTION AND LIFESPAN

During the mating season, the adult male becomes territorial and marks his territory with feces and urine. Breeding season occurs September to October. The female gives birth to one to two young after 8 months of gestation. The fawns are almost odorless at birth. This helps protect them from predators. They will stay hidden in the grass for the first few days. Their mother will graze away from where she has hidden her fawns so that she doesn't attract predators to where they are hidden. The fawns will join the herd when they are about a week old and they begin grazing when they are three weeks old. They can run faster than a human when they are just four days old!

NOTES

Pronghorns are the fastest land animals in the western hemisphere reaching speeds of up to 60 mph. They have huge lungs, hearts and enlarged nostrils to allow them to endure running at 30-40 mph over many miles. While running pronghorns can leap up to 20 vertical feet. Pronghorns live in wide open areas where camouflage is less effective, it uses its speed to elude predators such as cougars.