| Pronghorn, Sonoran | |||
| Genus | Antilocapra | ||
| Species | americana | ||
| Subspecies | sonoriensis | ||
| Status | Endangered | ||
| Distribution | United States (Arizona); Mexico | ||
| Height | 34 inches (86 cm) | ||
| Length | 55 inches (140 cm) | ||
| Weight | 103-150 pounds (47-68 kg) | ||
| Behavior |
The pronghorn is the only horned animal that sheds its horns each year. Other animals, such as cows, antelope, sheep, and goats, have horns that grow bigger but never fall off. They are also the fastest land animals in North America, reaching speeds as fast as 55 miles (89 km) per hour. Scientists wonder why pronghorns can run so quickly because they have no enemies that chase them that fast. Perhaps in the past there was a predator that could catch them, but today this animal no longer exists.
Pronghorns live in herds made up of does (female pronghorns) and fawns (the babies). The does usually have twin babies, who can run faster than a human when they are only four days old. They are not yet able to run as far as their speedy parents, so they hide from their predators until they can outrun them. | ||
| Breeding | Males try to defend a large area of land with plenty of food on it so that females will come onto it and mate. If two males meet on these pieces of territory, they fight by pushing each other back and forth with their horns locked until one gives up and runs away. | ||
| Conservation | In the 1800s, the plains of North America were home to about 50 million pronghorn. But when settlers began moving west, they overtook lands on which the pronghorn lived. So many thousands of these animals were killed for food and their skins that before long, the huge, roaming herds were gone. By 1925, there were only 13,000 remaining. Today, because of conservation laws and protected areas, pronghorns are again running free on the American prairies. But they still face the same problems - their habitats are constantly shrinking. | ||
| Interesting Facts | The pronghorn is a true North American species that has the features of both goat and antelope, but is neither of these animals. It is sometimes called a "pronghorn antelope," but it is a unique animal. The pronghorn is the only existing member of a family of animals once common in North America. All the other members of the particular family died out thousands of years ago, all except the pronghorn. Today, there is no other animal quite like it. | ||
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| Animal Communication Panel | |||
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