| Class: |
Mammalia |
|
||
| Order: | Artiodactyla (even-toed hoofed mammals) | |||
| Family: | Antilocapridae (only one species in this family, it is indigenous only to North America). | |||
| Genus: | Antilocapra | |||
| Species: | americana | |||
| Name/ History: |
Often called antelope, but not related to African antelope. Pre-Columbian population 30-40 million, but by 1920 was an endangered species with the total population of only 13,000. | |||
| Size: |
Male
|
Female
|
Fawn/Kid
|
|
| Weight (lbs) |
75-135
|
80-90
|
5-7
|
|
| Height* (ft) |
3
|
3
|
1.5-2
|
|
| Rut: | Late summer (August-October) males establish harems. | |||
| Gestation: | 8 months | |||
| Birth: | May-June at 5 days fawns are usually able to out run a person. | |||
| # young: | 1 fawn/kid for the first birth, then twins. | |||
| Age: | 7-10 years | |||
| Habitat/ Range: |
Great Plains states. Early 1800s pronghorn were found in the Great Basin, southwest Canada, west to California, east to Minnesota, and south to central Mexico. | |||
| Food: | Weeds, grasses, sagebrush | |||
| Enemies: | Coyotes, bobcats, man. | |||
| Disease: | Keratitis (pinkeye), actinomycosis (lumpy jaw) | |||
| Communication: | Grunt, bark, cough | |||
| Behavior/ Characteristics: |
Both sexes have permanent horns with sheath. Male horn usually longer than ears, females are shorter. Both lose outer sheath. Females have no black patch on cheek. Pronghorn are gregarious and can run 60 mph, making it the fastest land animal in North America. They have keen vision, good sense of smell, and excellent hearing. They sometimes display a three step warning by first pawing the ground, then urinating in that spot, and finally defecating in that spot. | |||
* height at shoulder