It’s not an uncommon sight on a warm summer day to catch a glimpse of a few Pronghorns tucked into the grassland landscape. Saskatchewan and Alberta are home to the northern most range of their territory but it extends south into the steppes, foothills and deserts of the United States and Mexico. They are an iconic grassland species that need our grasslands for survival.
The scientific name for Pronghorns is Antilocapra americana which roughly translates to “American antelope goat” and although many people refer to Pronghorns as antelopes, in reality, they have no relation to antelopes and are more closely related to giraffes and okapi. They have a body similar to deer but have white stripes on their necks, patches on their head and have extra long white hair on their rump that will stand up when alarmed or frightened. They are smaller than deer and will only weigh around 90 to 150lbs with males being larger than females. Pronghorns are adapted and built for grasslands! They have long, skinny legs that are necessary for their long strides and combined with their large hearts and lungs, it’s the reason why they are the fastest land mammal in North America and can reach speeds of 95km/hr. Despite these long legs, they did not develop the ability to jump and clear fences like deer are able to. They have large eyes that stick out and sit further back on their head and this enables them to have a 320° field of view so they can spot predators on the open grasslands. Their horns are what makes them truly unique though! They are actually a cross between a horn and an antler with a bony horn covered in a keratinous sheath on the outside. Both male and females will grow them but the females horns only stick out a few inches at most. Pronghorns will shed their horn sheath annually in the winter and regrow news one in the spring. Their diet consists mainly of grasses, forbs and sagebrush found on the native grasslands but they will also eat cacti and small amounts of grain.
Pronghorns will migrate great distances but they have encountered numerous challenges due to modern fences and urban expansion. The biggest struggle with migration is due to their inability to jump high enough to clear livestock fences so instead, they crawl underneath or try to go around. Most fences are barbwire and too close to the ground so they are unable to crawl underneath and without cutting or scratching open wounds on their backs. These open cuts increase the risk of infection and death in otherwise healthy animals.
The weather can also have a large impact on their populations with severe winter weather patterns such as significant snow accumulation proving to be fatal. During the winters of 2010 to 2013, the population of Pronghorn in Saskatchewan is estimated to have been reduced by 50% due to excess snowfall accumulation. When their preferred vegetation is buried under snow, they will gravitate towards other feed sources such as stockpiled livestock feed or grain and their rumens typically cannot tolerate the readily available carbohydrates and this can also cause large rates of mortality.
Deep snow combined with fences can greatly affect their ability to move freely but landowners and conservation groups have been working together to create wildlife friendly fencing that has the bottom wire 16-18inches off the group and is a smooth wire, creating easier passage. By altering fencing to allow for higher bottom wire heights combined with smooth wire, it drastically improves the health and movement of pronghorn. Another strategy is to work with ranchers in high traffic migration routes to leave gates open in the fall and winter where there are no cattle or pull the top and bottom wires towards the middle wires and staple them in place.
Abundant Pronghorn numbers can be a great indicator of a thriving grassland conditions but measures can also be taken to ensure safe migration of these keystone species. If you are interested in wildlife friendly fencing projects to help out Pronghorn, contact us to learn more!