The pronghorn is a distinctive mammal found across North America, known for its striking appearance and speed. It inhabits open grasslands and desert environments, making it a familiar sight in the continent’s western and central regions.
Identifying the Male Pronghorn
A male pronghorn is commonly referred to as a “buck.” This term is also used for males of various other hoofed animals, such as deer and goats. Male pronghorns can be identified by several physical traits that distinguish them from females. They are typically larger in body size, weighing between 90 and 150 pounds.
Male bucks often display more prominent facial markings, including a broad black mask extending from their eyes to their nose, and distinct black patches on their necks and jaws. Their horns are also noticeably larger and more robust, typically measuring 10 to 12 inches long, with some reaching up to 20 inches. These horns are lyre-shaped and curve inward, featuring a forward-pointing prong that gives the animal its name.
Beyond the Male: Other Pronghorn Names
A female pronghorn is called a “doe,” and their young are known as “fawns.” Females are generally smaller and lighter than males, with their body weight usually ranging from 75 to 106 pounds. While both sexes possess horns, those of female pronghorns are significantly smaller, often measuring only 3 to 6 inches, or sometimes appearing as mere bumps. Unlike the males’ branched horns, female horns are typically straight and rarely pronged.
Pronghorn fawns are born weighing between 5 and 9 pounds, often as twins. They develop rapidly, gaining the ability to stand shortly after birth and even outrunning humans within days. Young fawns stay close to their mothers.
The Pronghorn’s Unique Identity
Despite their resemblance to antelopes, pronghorns are not true antelopes, nor are they members of the deer family. They are the sole surviving species within their own distinct biological family, Antilocapridae, representing an ancient lineage unique to North America.
Pronghorns are recognized as the fastest land animal in North America, capable of reaching speeds up to 55 to 60 miles per hour. Their speed is accompanied by remarkable endurance, allowing them to sustain high velocities for longer periods compared to other fast animals like cheetahs. Pronghorn horns consist of a bony core covered by a keratinous sheath. Unlike the permanent horns of cattle or the bony antlers shed by deer, pronghorns annually shed and regrow this keratinous sheath, typically in late fall or early winter.