Pronghorns

The Pronghorns of Yellowstone section contains 134 images taken in Yellowstone National Park in
autumn from the North Entrance to the Lamar Valley, separated into 3 pages sorted by location and
an Overview index. This Overview page contains sample images from each of the 3 section pages.

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       Blacktail Plateau and Blacktail Ponds            Lower Mammoth to Floating Island Lake

North Entrance and Lamar Valley

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The Banner below leads to the Pronghorn Gallery where images can be selected.

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There are 165 images in the Pronghorn Gallery.

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Pronghorn_BlacktailPlateau_0340


Pronghorn Blacktail Plateau 0340

A male Pronghorn poses atop a ridge on the Blacktail Plateau in northern Yellowstone National Park.

Also called the Pronghorn Antelope, the Pronghorn is the only surviving member of the Family Antilocapridae
and is not a true antelope, but it closely resembles the Old World antelope and fills a similar ecological niche.
The Pronghorn can run exceptionally fast and it is considered to be the fastest land animal in North America.
They evolved their running ability to escape from extinct predators such as the American Cheetah, and they
are much faster than any current North American predators, being the second fastest land animal behind
the Cheetah. Pronghorns can maintain high speeds much longer than cheetahs, and can reach 55 mph
and can sustain this speed for a half mile. They can maintain 42 mph for 1 mile and 35 mph for 4 miles.

Pronghorn_BlacktailPlateau_0351


Pronghorn Blacktail Plateau 0351

A male Pronghorn posing atop a ridge on the Blacktail Plateau in northern Yellowstone National Park.

Pronghorns are 4.5 feet to 5 feet long from nose to tail, stand about 3.5 feet tall at the shoulder, and have a barrel-shaped body. The males and females are about the same size, but females typically weigh about 20-25% less than males.

Pronghorns have dense, coarse, air-filled fur which provides excellent insulation. The dorsal fur is rufous brown, and they have off-white underbellies, rumps and neck patches. Males have dark patches of fur under the ears and a dark stripe running laterally between the horns. Both males and females have a dark patch on the nose, extending higher on the male to just under the eyes.

Pronghorns have very large eyes, a 320 degree field of view, and can discern detail at great distance.

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Pronghorns Blacktail Plateau 0410

A Pronghorn male and two females on a ridge on the Blacktail Plateau in Yellowstone National Park.

PronghornFemales_BlacktailPlateau_0463


Pronghorn Females Blacktail Plateau 0463

Pronghorn_BlacktailPlateau_0470


Pronghorn Blacktail Plateau 0470

300mm telephoto closeups of a female and male Pronghorn on the Blacktail Plateau at Yellowstone.

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Pronghorn Female Blacktail Plateau 0415 M

A 1500 x 1290 image of a female Pronghorn on a ridge on the Blacktail Plateau.

All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without a title bar.

Pronghorn_FemaleJuvenile_BlacktailPlateau_0483


Pronghorn Female and Juvenile Blacktail Plateau 0483

300mm closeup of a Pronghorn female and a juvenile playing peek-a-boo on Blacktail Plateau in Yellowstone.

PronghornFemale_BlacktailPlateau_0491


Pronghorn Female Blacktail Plateau 0491

A 300mm closeup of a smiling female Pronghorn on Blacktail Plateau in Yellowstone National Park.

Pronghorns_BlacktailPlateau_Blacktail Ponds


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Pronghorns: Blacktail Plateau and Blacktail Ponds page.

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The Banner below leads to the Pronghorn Gallery where images can be selected.

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There are 165 images in the Pronghorn Gallery.

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Pronghorn_LowerMammoth_7556


Pronghorn Lower Mammoth 7556

A Pronghorn male running in the grasslands just east of Lower Mammoth in northern Yellowstone National Park.

Pronghorn limbs have evolved in specialized ways to increase their running ability, giving them exceptional speed and endurance. The formation of their foot allows them to stand on the tips of their hooves. The length of the radius bone is as long as (or longer than) the femur. The ulna and radius have been reduced to eliminate the twisting and rotating of the elbow, and the ulna is reduced and partially fused to the radius. The reduction of bone and associated muscles in the limbs decreases the limb weight, giving them more speed. Pronghorns have modified their joints to act as hinges, allowing only motion in the line of travel. This has been done by introducing interlocking spines and grooves in their joints. These adaptations have made pronghorns into exceptional runners, but they can no longer jump because they have lost their suspension mechanism.

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Pronghorn Juvenile Lower Mammoth 7592

A Pronghorn juvenile crossing the grasslands just east of Lower Mammoth in Yellowstone National Park.

Pronghorn fawns and weak individuals are preyed upon by coyotes, wolves, mountain lions and other predators.
Pronghorns can use their horns to defend against predators, and they can also use their sharply pointed hooves
in defense, but their primary defenses are a 320 degree angle of view, exceptionally sharp eyesight, and speed.
Pronghorns are capable of sprints up to 55 mph and can maintain speeds of 35-40 mph for very long distances.
The fastest measured sprint of a pronghorn is over 60 mph (the fastest cheetahs can reach 75 mph for 1.3 mile).

Pronghorn_LowerMammoth_7617M


Pronghorn Lower Mammoth 7617 M

A 500mm telephoto close portrait of a Pronghorn male in the grasslands east of Lower Mammoth.

While the typical shape of adult horns curve inward and to the rear, this adult’s horns curve
directly towards each other. Further below, you will see individuals with asymmetrical horns.

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Pronghorn Female and Juvenile Lava Creek 8916

A Pronghorn female and juvenile in the Lava Creek area of northern Yellowstone National Park.

The Pronghorn breeding period in Yellowstone is from mid-September to October
and roughly corresponds to the Elk breeding period, making this a good time to visit.

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Pronghorn Lava Creek 8947

The Pronghorn male nicknamed Snagglehorn in the Lava Creek area of Yellowstone.
Note the asymmetric horns, with one atypical horn curving inward and to the rear, and
one horn curving forward and outward. Some pronghorn males have unusual horns.

Here, Snagglehorn smacks his lips. This action is often part of a courtship sequence.

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Pronghorns Lava Creek 8957

A Pronghorn female and juvenile with the male nicknamed Snagglehorn in the Lava Creek area of Yellowstone.

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Pronghorn Juvenile Floating Island Lake 0379 M

A 500mm extreme telephoto close portrait of a Pronghorn juvenile near Floating Island Lake in Yellowstone.

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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Pronghorns: Lower Mammoth to Floating Island Lake page.

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The Banner below leads to the Pronghorn Gallery where images can be selected.

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There are 165 images in the Pronghorn Gallery.

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Pronghorns Lamar Valley 0557

Pronghorn females check out the photographer as the male leads others towards
a stand of Cottonwooods in the Lamar Valley in northern Yellowstone National Park.

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Pronghorn Lamar Valley 0561

A Pronghorn male standing in the autumn grass, in the Lamar Valley of northern Yellowstone National Park.

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Pronghorn Female Lamar Valley 0923

A 300mm telephoto closeup of a Pronghorn female standing in autumn shrubs in the Lamar Valley.

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Pronghorn Lamar Valley 0953

A Pronghorn male with an unusually wide set of nearly straight horns walks through the autumn grass
while keeping an eye on the photographer in this 300mm telephoto closeup taken in the Lamar Valley.

The nearly straight shape of the horns on this male must make them very good weapons.

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Pronghorns North Entrance Yellowstone 0165

A Pronghorn male and female running together near the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

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Pronghorns North Entrance Yellowstone 0168

These images were taken at 500mm. Tracking and framing two fast-moving pronghorns who were
filling the frame in the narrow field of view of a 500mm lens was a rather interesting technical exercise.

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Pronghorn North Entrance Yellowstone 0211

A Pronghorn male is captured with all four feet off the ground while running in a grassy meadow.

The Pronghorn is the fastest North American land animal, second only to the Cheetah.
The Pronghorn evolved its speed to outrun the extinct American Cheetah, and while the
African Cheetah is faster over a very short distance, the Pronghorn was able to elude the
American Cheetah by using its 13 separate gaits, including one in which the Pronghorn
can take nearly 24 foot long strides (8 yards, 7.3 meters) while maintaining much of its
forward speed. The American Cheetah, which evolved from the Cougar (or Puma),
is thought to have had similar speed to the African Cheetah. It went extinct at the
end of the last Ice Age 12,000 years ago, so no one really knows its true speed.

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Click the Display Composite above to visit the Pronghorns: North Entrance and Lamar Valley page.

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The Banner below leads to the Pronghorn Gallery where images can be selected.

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There are 165 images in the Pronghorn Gallery.

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