pronghorn

Everyday

A deer-like animal of the grasslands of North America, with forked (pronged) horns, famous for being the fastest land animal in America. tree →

In the lessons

In science and nature lessons the pronghorn is an example of speed and adaptation: it can run about 90 km/h (55 mph) and keep going much longer than a cheetah. Pupils in the USA and Canada may see them in the Great Plains. It is often wrongly called an antelope.

Examples

• A pronghorn can run faster than a racehorse. tree →
• We saw pronghorns grazing in Wyoming. tree →
• The pronghorn's horns have a little fork, or prong. tree →
• Pronghorns can run fast for a long time, not just in short bursts. tree →
• Wolves and coyotes chase pronghorn on the prairie. tree →
• The pronghorn is the fastest land animal in North America. tree →

Note

Plural: pronghorns, or pronghorn for a group. Often called "pronghorn antelope", but it is not a true antelope; its closest relatives are giraffes. It sheds the outer cover of its horns each year.