A male pronghorn antelope stands alongside a fence in Central Montana. While speedy, antelope are not jumpers and typically slide under fences rather than going over.
A buck pronghorn antelope carefully watches the photographer. The antelope’s tawny coat blends well with summer and fall foliage while the white rump hair can be used to signal other members of the herd.
A young male pronghorn antelope trots across a field. Unique to North America, the pronghorn represents the last survivor of what was once a very diverse family of hooved mammals.
A male pronghorn antelope stands alongside a fence in Central Montana. While speedy, antelope are not jumpers and typically slide under fences rather than going over.
Photo courtesy of Kristine Manley
A buck pronghorn antelope carefully watches the photographer. The antelope’s tawny coat blends well with summer and fall foliage while the white rump hair can be used to signal other members of the herd.
Photo courtesy of Kristine Manley
A young male pronghorn antelope trots across a field. Unique to North America, the pronghorn represents the last survivor of what was once a very diverse family of hooved mammals.
Photo courtesy of Kristine Manley
USE LIKE A PULL QUOTE
While some herds of pronghorn are known to migrate between summer and winter ranges, herds in Central Montana are some of the least migratory in the state. This probably means they have all the resources they need right here. Which begs the question: why are local antelope numbers down?
Speeding across Central Montana’s plains is an enigma called the pronghorn antelope. But it’s not an antelope at all. Instead it is the sole remaining member of the Antilocapridae family of hooved mammals, a family that flourished in North America before and during the Ice Ages; then dwindled until only the pronghorn was left.
Named for its large horns, each of which sports a forward-facing prong, today’s pronghorn antelope, Antilocapra americana, represents 28 million years of evolution, making it extremely well suited to the prairie habitat.
