Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)

The pronghorn is renowned for its speed and endurance. Speeds of up to 60mph have been recorded and 45mph can be maintained for over 4 miles. Their enlarged windpipes and lungs, combined with the habit of running with an open mouth, increases air supply for speed. Pronghorns have long, slim legs and hooves designed to cushion the shock of a stride that may reach 27 feet at a full run. Both sexes have black horns and horn sheaths that are shed and regrown annually. Pronghorn eyes are unusually large and are set out from the skull, allowing a nearly 360 degree field of vision. Their eyesight is about the same as a human looking through 8 power binoculars; they can spot a man 2 miles away on the open prairie. Their long eyelashes act as sun visors. The tan and white markings of the pronghorn are important for communication on the open prairies and grasslands. Pronghorn stand about 34 inches at the shoulder and weigh from 103-154 pounds, with males slightly larger than females. They may live 9-10 years, up to 12 years in captivity.

Pronghorns inhabit open grass and brushlands across the western US and Canada and parts of Mexico. They are the only remaining species in the family antilocapridae, unchanged in over a million years. Their diet consists of forbs, grasses, shrubs, cacti and domestic crops. Fawns are born in late May and early June, and twins are common. The young weigh about 8 pounds at birth, and within 2 days can run as fast as a horse. They lack the stamina to keep up with a herd in flight, so hide in vegetation until they are about a month old. Conservation efforts have brought pronghorns back from near extinction, however fencing of the open range and the conversion of prairie to agriculture and urban development now pose threats to their habitat.

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