Cute Couple

by Mike Lee

Title

Cute Couple

Artist

Mike Lee

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

As my wife and I were out exploring the countryside near Alturas California we spotted this pronghorn buck with some does out in a field. I watched the scene for a bit and captured this frame as he and one of his gals were watching me with a wary eye.

I’ve long been fascinated with pronghorns. They are very unique in that they have no real close relatives left on Planet Earth. They are the last surviving member of an otherwise extinct family (Antilocapridae) that once numbered as many as 11 members. Very often referred to as "antelope," they are not even in the same family as a true antelope. Lots of folks, especially game hunters who've missed opportunities to bag one due to their insane speeds, refer to them as "speed goats" but they aren't related to goats either. If anything, they're more closely related to giraffe and okapi but even that is a distant relationship. Capable of running more than 50mph, they are the fastest land animal in the Americas, and the fastest on Planet Earth at distances over a few hundred yards when the cheetah runs out of steam.

Unlike deer, moose, or elk, which all have antlers that are completely shed every year, pronghorns have horns which are permanent. However, in keeping with their crazy uniqueness, only a single bony spike remains year round and the bucks shed and regrow the pronged sheath you see here annually.

Uploaded

May 26th, 2024

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