Pronghorn Antelope are the Ferrari of the Western Hemisphere, but as it turns out, they're not really in the Antelope family at all; they are the remaining member of an ancient species, and are not related to the African Antelope we know today.  But have no doubt, the Pronghorn Antelope we see in Wyoming are made for speed. 

     The Pronghorn Antelope's skeletal structure is very light, as compared to other wildlife out west, and even their fur has a hollow structure; this reduces weight and keeps them warm at speed.  The heavier males weight only 150 pounds, whereas their Mule Deer neighbors will tip the scales at nearly twice that!  Their hooves have two cushioned toes that absorb the tremendous shock that they need to endure at high speed; their field of vision is an astounding 320 degrees!  They have a gallbladder, our deer do not, and the Antelope's horns slip through the air like a jet; even their facial structure looks more like an expensive sports car than a big fat moose.

     Speaking of horns, the Pronghorn Antelope doesn't loose their horns every year, but they do shed an outer covering as the horns grow larger, and the females also have horns, albeit only six Pronghorn Antelope, Wind River Mountains, WyomingPronghorn Antelope and The Wind River Mountains. inches at best.  So, the Ferrari of the hoofed animal world is the essence of designed-for-speed, so how fast are they?  I have personally sat in the back of an old WWII Jeep at 50 mph, as an adult male Antelope pulled away from us, then made a corner that we couldn't possibly make, and he was gone.  They've been clocked at sixty miles-per-hour, with old stories, told by old men, going much higher.

     So, what is all this fabulous speed for?  As it turns out, it's for outrunning a Cheetah; but a Pronghorn Antelope can sustain high speeds for a much longer distance than a Cheetah, but wait....there are no Cheetahs in Wyoming.  Ah, but long ago there were, and they needed to run very fast, and they still do to this day.

     So, they may stand there as you drive by, but Antilocapra americana, the Pronghorn Antelope, is faster across the sage prairie than you.  My photograph this week, of a Wyoming Pronghorn Antelope, was taken last Tuesday on a wonderful spring day, with the Wind River Mountains in the background.  This highly curious-by-nature animal had his attention grabbed by a loud whistle by me, with the files worked the usual way in Canon DPP and Lightroom 5.  Can you see the heat waves rising in the background?