Distinctly Montana Magazine

Pronghorns can cruise along at speeds of 40 to 45 miles per hour for four miles or more. quick bursts of speed up to 55 or 60 miles per hour. But unlike the cheetah, who is largely a sprinter, pronghorns can cruise along at speeds of 40 to 45 miles per hour for four miles or more. Predators certainly have their work cut out for them when they set their sights on a pronghorn. The animal's physiology designs them for such speed, which is possibly a lasting legacy of needing to outrun predators thousands of years ago like the now-extinct North American cheetah. According to the National Parks Conservation Association, pronghorns have a light bone structure and unusually large lungs, heart, and trachea that keep enough oxygen and blood flowing when they hit top speeds. Their distinctive pronged horns are also built to save weight and increase speed. They consist of a hollow shaft of keratin supported by a bony core, which is shed annually. Pronghorns are the only animal that has branched horns that it also sheds. Especially large eyes with impeccable eyesight are another asset. Each eyeball is approximately one and a half to two inches in diameter, and with their placement far back on the animal's head, they have a nearly 300-degree arc of vision. This helps the animal spot predators up to three miles away. One of the pronghorn's only major hindrances, according to Mark Sullivan, wildlife biologist for Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, is their refusal to jump fences. Due to evolving on the flat prairie grounds prior to western settlement, the pronghorn never had to jump over obstacles while migrating. Instead, pronghorns look for gaps in the line or simply go under the fence. According to Sullivan, fences pose a major problem for antelope in winter months when they start migrating. Because of this, wildlife agencies are working to convince private land owners to raise their fences' bottom wire up to 18 inches so pronghorns can go under them. The pronghorn is one of Montana's most noteworthy inhabitants, not only because of its ingenious physical makeup and abilities, but because of its sheer endurance and will to survive—the very principals the western United States and Montana were settled on. Two pronghorn grazing north of Yellowstone Park DISTINCTL MONTANA | DIGITAL Y w w w. d i s t i n c t ly mo nt a na .co m www.distinctlymontana.com/pronghorn134 19

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