It’s hard for most people to fathom this kind of wildlife encounter.
For those who aren’t too familiar, pronghorns are a species of artiodactyl mammals that are very similar to the antelope, but not in the same family. Often incorrectly called “antelope,” pronghorns are the fastest land mammals in North America, reaching top speeds of 60 mph when they’re in a full sprint. And not only are they freaky fast, they can see movement from miles and miles away. Combine insane speed and high-powered eye-sight, and it’s not hard to see why predators have a tough time with them. Their speed and endurance evolved as a defense against now-extinct predators, making them incredibly agile and efficient runners across the open plains.
In fact, the biggest threat to pronghorn populations is probably human intervention. And not just hunters, more so habitat loss, and the construction of roads and fences that keep them from migrating to more suitable land for grazing and breeding. Thanks to conservation efforts however, their populations have rebounded from past declines caused by overhunting and habitat loss.
They inhabit open grasslands, deserts, and sagebrush areas throughout the western United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. Pronghorns are herbivores that feed primarily on grasses, forbs, and shrubs, and they often travel in groups for protection. Unlike deer, pronghorns do not shed their horns annually—they shed the outer sheath but keep the bony core. Pronghorns are easily recognized by their distinctive white rumps, tan bodies, and curved black horns that both males and females can have—though the males’ are typically larger.
With that being said, this video gives the perfect idea of how fast these creatures can travel. In this wild video footage, you can see a pronghorn running at sprint speeds alongside a car driving down a road. The person driving the car also shows that they’re traveling over 40 mph, and the pronghorn is easily keeping the pace. It’s insane.
Check it out:
Yellowstone Bison Herd Help Baby Pronghorn
Among the 3,468 square miles of Yellowstone National Park, it’s hard to even imagine everything that goes on amongst the wildlife out there. However, lucky for us, we’re blessed with a number of videos taken by either the park or tourists, giving us all a glimpse of the natural beauty, and often times, not so pretty, aspects of the park.
In the latest edition of wild Yellowstone videos, a tourist shot a video of a black wolf chasing a baby pronghorn in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone, from their car.
The caption of the video reads:
“A black wolf chases a baby pronghorn in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park. The mother pronghorn helps protect the baby by trying to distract and make the wolf chase her instead. Even the bison try to help the baby pronghorn by blocking the wolf’s path.
The baby pronghorn was able to escape the wolf by using its amazing speed and endurance. Handheld video was taken from inside our car. We were towing our trailer on our way to our campsite for the evening and were not prepared for this incredible sight!”
The mother pronghorn, which can quite easily outrun the lone wolf, tries to distract the savage killer from its pursuit of her baby. Pronghorn are the fastest North American land mammal, with a top speed of about 55 miles per hour.
However, they can sustain speeds of about 30 miles per hour for over 20 miles. Needless to say, it’s no surprise why mom was trying to get the focus on her. Of course, the wolf is smarter than that…
But then, the bison herd appears to get involved, seemingly trying to cut off the wolf from its attack. They don’t offer much help, but the young pronghorn seems to actually be doing fine on its own. And while it’s rare to see a wolf hunt on its own like this, as they typically hunt in packs, we don’t know the outcome of this hunt. Did the little fella make it? Did more wolves join the hunt? Did the wolf get stomped by a bison?
Who knows… what we do know, Yellowstone National Park is always down for something cool.
