• Wind Cave National Park - Two Worlds

    Wind Cave

    National Park South Dakota

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  • Elk Mountain Campground Closed

    The Elk Mountain Campground is closed and will remain closed through the summer of 2013 due to across the board budget cuts.

Abstract - Manifestations of Social Dominance in Pronghorn Bucks

Bromley, P.T. 1988. Manifestations of social dominance in pronghorn bucks. Conference on Ungulate Behavior and Management. College Station, TX.

Abstract

Studies of the early socialization and adult behavior of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) bucks reveal the central role of dominance in their social organization and ecology. Dominance rank order was established by the age of 6 weeks and persisted at least until the age of 3 months in a local population at the National Bison Range (NBR), Montana, U.S.A. Behavior patterns of territorial bucks at Wind Cave National Park (WCNP), South Dakota, U.S.A., were related to the relative dominance of the bucks and to the proximity of the bucks to territorial boundaries and to geographic features. At WCNP a dominance hierarchy existed among territorial bucks. Territorial bucks at WCNP and NBR claimed areas for territories with the greatest abundance of preferred food. Competition for dominance status is a central organizing force in pronghorn society. Adaptations of local populations to ecological conditions are expressed through variations in social organization. Found in APPL.-ANIM.-BEHAV.-SCI. 1991. vol. 29, no. 1-4, pp. 147-164

Did You Know?

Porcupine in tree

Porcupine babies are called porcupettes.  When they are born they have 15,000 quills. Porcupettes are born in the spring and, lucky for mom, the quills are soft. They can climb trees within an hour of birth. More...