Pronghorn
Neither deer nor antelope, the pronghorn pairs extraordinary eyesight and speed with horns that shed their outer sheath.
Artwork inspired by Conrad Schwiering
Pronghorn are the sole surviving members of their family. Their white rump patch can flare as an alarm signal, wide-set eyes scan almost every direction, and both sexes may carry horns—larger and pronged in adult males. Wyoming supports more pronghorn than any other state, across sagebrush and rolling grasslands.
Speed does not solve every human-made obstacle. Pronghorn prefer to crawl under fences rather than leap them, so migration depends on permeable fencing and connected open land. Watch from roads or public overlooks without blocking a herd’s line of travel, especially during migration and when does are tending hidden fawns.
- Family
- The only living antilocaprid
- Alarm
- White rump hairs flare visibly
- Wyoming strength
- Largest state population
Quick guide
- Use the horizon
- Look for tan-and-white bodies on open sage flats.
- Check the horns
- Male horns are larger and show the namesake forward prong.
Recognize and observe
- Use the horizon
- Look for tan-and-white bodies on open sage flats.
- Check the horns
- Male horns are larger and show the namesake forward prong.
- Notice fences
- Pause well away from a crossing and never crowd animals against wire.
- Protect fawns
- Do not approach a solitary young animal; its mother may be feeding nearby.
Good to know
Calling a pronghorn an “antelope” is traditional but taxonomically misleading. Its nearest living relatives are not the African antelopes it superficially resembles.
Notice these
- The only living antilocaprid
- White rump hairs flare visibly
- Largest state population