Pronghorn Antelope

by Robert Bales

Title

Pronghorn Antelope

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

Yellowstone's herd of about 290 animals is confined to a very small winter range, with insufficient amounts of the native forage they need. These conditions leave them isolated from other pronghorn in the area and at high risk for disease, predation, inbreeding, and mass casualties in the face of a harsh winter. Scientists consider this herd threatened.

These are the fastest mammals in North America, capable of running at speeds in excess of 55 mph. They also have tremendous vision, equal to that of a powerful telescope. Unlike other animals that seek heavy vegetation for escape cover, pronghorns are more secure in the open where their superior eyesight allows them to spot danger at long distances. These animals are tough, able to withstand ferocious prairie blizzards without seeking shelter. They're tolerant to severe cold because their hair Is hollow, offering more insulation in strong winds. Pronghorn are unique in that they rarely jump fences, unlike all other large hoofed mammals. Instead, they go under the bottom wire, or find a spot where the fence has been damaged, allowing them to get through.
Pronghorn are found in sizable herds throughout the west with the exception of Washington. They're fond of sagebrush prairies, but are also quite happy in lush alfalfa fields. The only place you'll regularly see them in Yellowstone Is in the area between Gardiner and Mammoth. Outside Yellowstone, look for them along 1-15 north and south of Dillon, Montana; in the desert and farmland country around dark, Wyoming; and along the highway between Cody and Thermopolis, Wyoming.

Uploaded

June 13th, 2015

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