The Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the Prong Buck, Pronghorn Antelope, or simply Antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and fills a similar ecological niche due to convergent evolution. It is the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridae. Each "horn" of the Pronghorn is composed of a slender, laterally flattened blade of bone that grows from the frontal bones of the skull, forming a permanent core. As in the Giraffidae, skin covers the bony cores, but in the Pronghorn it develops into a keratinous sheath which is shed and regrown on an annual basis. Unlike the horns of the family Bovidae, the horn sheaths of the Pronghorn are branched, each sheath possessing a forward-pointing tine (hence the name Pronghorn). The horns of males are well developed.
Ten Facts about Pronghorn
- Adult males are 1.3-1.5 m (4 1/4-5 ft) long from nose to tail and stand 81-104 cm (2 5/8-3 3/8 ft) high at the shoulder, and weigh 36-70 kg.
- The females are the same heights as males but weigh 41-50 kg.
- Males have a prominent pair of horns on the top of the head, which are made up of an outer sheath of hairlike substance that grows around a bony core; the outer sheath is shed annually.
- Males have a horn sheath about 12.5-43 cm (mean 25 cm) long with a prong.
- Females have smaller horns, ranging from 2.5-15 cm (average 12 cm).
- They also have very large eyes, with a 320 degree field of vision.
- The top speed is very hard to measure accurately and varies between individuals; it is variously cited as up to 70 km/h,72 km/h, or 86 km/h.
- Pronghorns have a gestation period of 235 days, They breed in mid-September, and the doe carries her fawn until late May.
- Sexual maturity is reached at 15 to 16 months, though males rarely breed until 3 years old.
- The longevity is typically up to 10 years, rarely 15 years.
