Pronghorn Yellowstone National Park

The pronghorn was grazing comfortably while snow was coming down sideways

This exotic looking animal is called a pronghorn. It is the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere. When pronghorn sprint, they can reach speeds of around 50 miles per hour. They are known for their sustained speed over long distances. Why are pronghorn so fast? They evolved side by side with a now extinct species of lion and cheetah. Although those animals may have been faster, the pronghorn were able to showcase their sustained speed, giving them a chance at survival. Pronghorn are often called “pronghorn antelope” or “American antelope”. The problem with those nicknames is that pronghorn are not true antelope, despite looking similar. In fact, they are more closely related to giraffe than true antelopes.

Chinese Spring

I was able to approach this pronghorn by slowly creeping up and hiding behind brush. I had my 600mm lens. The pronghorn was grazing comfortably while snow was coming down sideways. Just another day. If you look closely, it appears this pronghorn has some battle wounds on his mid-body. Possibly inflicted by another pronghorn? There are many possible perpetrators in Yellowstone.

We can identify this pronghorn as a male. Although female pronghorn also have horns, theirs are much smaller. This male pronghorn will shed his horns every year, after the rutting season. Technically, he will shed the outer shell of the horn. After this process, the pronghorn will be left with small pointy bones covered in hair. If you see a pronghorn from November through February, their horns will be small. As spring goes into summer, the horns grow. This photo was taken in late April.

Taggart Lake

As of 2022, their numbers were estimated to be roughly 500-600 in Yellowstone National Park. The males grow to be larger than the females (~125 pound buck and ~110 pound doe). They will live roughly seven to ten years. I noticed sometimes the pronghorn were on their own and sometimes they were grazing in groups. It is said they are very social animals. This was my first time seeing these unique creatures, and it was a very memorable experience.

As of 2022, their numbers were estimated to be roughly 500-600 in Yellowstone National Park

Did you know?

If you visit Yellowstone from May through June look out for pronghorn fawns.
Some pronghorns migrate.
At one point in the late 19^th century, pronghorn were almost driven to extinction. Due to efforts to protect the pronghorn, their numbers have increased to somewhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000 today.