Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
Photo: The pronghorn--fastest animal in North America, undated. American Heritage Center collections.
The pronghorn is often referred to as an antelope. Though similar to an antelope that might be seen on the plains of Africa, the pronghorn is not an antelope at all. The pronghorn belongs to the family Antilocapridae, a family that evolved about 35 million years ago and is unique to North America. So why isn’t the pronghorn an antelope? The pronghorn is the only mammal that has hollow branched horns that are shed and renewed annually.
Photo: A lone hunter scouts out prime pronghorn country, ca. 1953. Warren Page Papers.
Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
