Pronghorn

Antilocapra americana

Population, Conservation Status, Threats:

Pronghorns are particularly affected by loss of access to migratory routes, along with loss of habitat to agricultural use. In the 1800s and 1900s, overhunting took a large toll on pronghorn populations. Their population has seen an overall increase in the last 20 years, and is considered least concern by the IUCN.

Physical Description:

Pronghorn are notable for being the fastest land animal in North America, as well as being the only extant species of their family, which has been present in North America since the ice age, and is not in fact closely related to the old world antelopes. They have light, reddish-tan fur and distinct white markings on their neck, face, belly, and rump. Both males and females posses horns, and the keratin sheath that surround these bone horn cores is shed yearly.

Colorado pronghorn range from the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Pronghorn are found larely in the great plains region of Colorado, but are also present in the lower-elevation portions of the Colorado rocky mountains.

Habitat:

Prairie, desert, and high plains environments in the American West.

Behavior:

Pronghorn seasonally migrate hundreds of miles across the plains to search for food. They are herd animals, though herd size and makeup varies by season. In the fall and winter, large groups of all sexes and ages congregate together. By spring, they split up into smaller bands, forming separate bachelor herds and herds made up of females and their young.

Diet:

Pronghorn are herbivores who spend most of their time grazing or chewing cud. They preferentially eat soft flowering plants, and will eat shrubs, sagebrush, and some grasses depending on food availability.

Reproduction:

Males will compete with other males for access to females, through vocalizations, threat displays, and eventual fighting, using their horns in much the same way as deer do to compete for females. Successful males form and defend harems of females, who are bred in the fall and give birth to one to two young after an eight-month gestation period.

Associated Species:

Bison have historically shared habitat with pronghorn, though through dangerous overhunting in the 1800s-1900s, both pronghorn and bison populations have shrunk significantly from their original size and range. Coyotes are common predators of pronghorn, especially young individuals. Prairie dogs rely on similar high plains environments to pronghorn, and share a similarly forb, grass, and shrub-heavy diet.

Illustration by Willow Sedam

Sources: 1 https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/pronghorn.htm 2 https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Pronghorn 3 https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/pronghorn

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