Distinctly Montana Magazine

Brad Patterson PRONGHORN A Quick Look at North America's Champion Speedster Brad Patterson By Lacey Middlestead T he sun lingers in the cornflower blue sky of late afternoon. A breeze ripples the tall grass in the field and gains the attention of a pair of pronghorn bucks grazing. Their large eyes scan the landscape in front of them, ever on guard for their herd nearby. The pronghorn, with its russet-tan and white coat and curiously branched horns, is an original native American. Though closely resembling African antelope, the pronghorn bears no relation and is actually the last surviving member in the world of the Antilocapridae family. Today, North America is the only continent on earth where pronghorns are found Like the bison, pronghorns have long roamed the Great Plains region, and it is estimated that some 35 million once inhabited the area. Their number was devastated, however, by the end of the 19th century due to hunting and human settlement. Only about 13,000 remained by 1915. But thanks to their principal defenses of speed and endurance the pronghorn population persisted and today there are about one million in North America. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark made the first noteworthy observations of the animals, particularly regarding their speed, in their journals. On September 3, 1804, the Corps of Discovery caught their first glimpse of 18 the animals on the prairie near Springfield, North Dakota. Some of the men recognized the animals and referred to them as cabri, which is the French word for goats. Clark noted that they were very "wild and fleet." Lewis would also note their incredible speed on September 17, 1804 writing, "I had this day an opportunity of witnessing the agility and superior fleetness of this animal which to me was really astonishing...I beheld the rapidity of their flight along the ridge before me. It appeared rather the rappid flight of birds than the motion of quadrupeds." From the moment they are born, pronghorns are resilient and practically hit the ground running. Pronghorn does give birth at the end of winter and usually have twins. Fawns begin walking within their first hour of life and can outrun a man when only four days old. They are born with a need for speed. The pronghorn's incredible speed earns them the title of "speed goats." They are second only to the cheetah in being the fastest mammal on earth. They are capable of D I ST I N CT LY M ONTANA • FALL 2013

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