Friday 17 May Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) Pronghorn fact
file - Find out more - Print factsheet Despite being similar in
appearance and behaviour to antelopes, the pronghorn actually
belongs to its own unique family (2) (4). The horns are
particularly remarkable in that like bovids, they consist of a
keratin sheath on a bony core, but like deer (cervids), they are
forked, and the outer sheath sheds annually from the unforked
bony core (2) (4) (5). Both sexes have black horns, but the
male’s are enlarged and have forward-facing prongs below
backward-pointing hooks, while the female’s are comparatively
small (2) (4). The pronghorn’s stocky body is supported on long,
slim legs, which enable it to take massive eight metre strides
at full speed (2). The upperparts are largely red-brown to tan,
while the underparts, the rump and two bands across the neck are
contrastingly white. The male also has conspicuous black patches
on the face and on the sides of the neck, beneath the ears (2)
(4) (6). Five subspecies,