Pronghorn

Antilocapra americana

The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is a North American hoofed mammal of grasslands, sagebrush flats, and high desert basins. It is the only living member of Antilocapridae, with forked horns that shed outer sheaths, large eyes, a tan-and-white coat, and speed built for long runs across open country. Although it is often called an antelope in casual speech, it belongs to a separate North American lineage rather than to the true antelopes of Africa and Eurasia.

Pronghorn are managed as wildlife, with attention to migration routes, fawning habitat, fence design, drought, roads, and regulated harvest. They are difficult to capture or confine safely because panic and high-speed flight can cause injury, so translocation work requires specialized crews and carefully chosen release sites. Fawns may lie still in grass while a doe feeds nearby and should not be removed unless a qualified rehabilitator confirms need. Population records depend on location, age class, sex, movement, and habitat condition.