the scientific name of the pronghorn is "antilocapra americana". the pronghorn is the sole extant member of the family antilocapridae. this species was first described by american ornithologist george ord in 1815. the pronghorn were first seen and described by spanish explorers in the 16th century, but were not formally recorded or scrutinised until the 1804–1806 expedition by captain meriwether lewis and second lieutenant william clark. the expedition, which aimed to unravel water routes in the continent for commercial purposes, led to the discovery or formal recognition of a variety of flora and fauna of north america. following the discovery of a few subspecies of the sharp-tailed grouse, lewis and clark came across the pronghorn near the mouth of the niobrara river, in present-day nebraska. clark was the first to kill a pronghorn, and described his experience as follows: