Pronghorn antelope charcoal drawing

Pronghorns are antelopes that live on the North American continent. Sometimes called "speed goats," they prefer open plains and gather in groups. They're interesting animals and don't have any close relatives in north america or anywhere else for that matter.

While they look like some other antelopes, they have their own taxonomic family. The horns can be found on both male and females, and they are sort of horns in that they don't fall off, and sort of antlers, in that they have more than one point and the sheath falls off and regrows. How weird is that?

If you have sheep, you know that if they live long enough, their teeth will break and they will become "gummers." Older horses need their teeth floated, which is a process of a dentist visit for horses that takes the edges down. The pronghorn's teeth never stop growing.

The notable thing about the pronghorn is their need for speed. They are fast. 80kph/50mph. Likely a holdover adaptation from a time not that long ago when North America had lions and cheetahs. Cheetahs have been extinct in north america for around 10,000 years, but the neurotic pronghorn antelope still has the nervous twitch and the turbo-charged speed.

They can run with their mouths open, which pumps air into the lungs. For all their speed, they are lousy jumpers. When they encounter a fence, they prefer to go under it.

*SOLD-charcoal drawing

**Photos source: me