The fence I remember seeing them jump was probably only four feet tall. I remember talking to my dad (chilejack who pops up here sometimes) about how wild animals can live inside barbed-wire fences, and whether the person who owns the land owns the pronghorns, and I could have just imagined them jumping the fence and created a vivid enough image in my head that it became a memory.

I suppose their speed was and is helpful in several ways. Chilejack, I think I’ve seen pictures or footage of them going under fences.

Pronghorn have always been one of my favorites. I’m with you about the “minor” crack…though I do wish we still had some of the crazy extinct antilocaprids around like the six-horned Hexameryx.

If they were still a diverse group I suppose we wouldn’t puzzle over them not quite fitting with bovids or cervids but accept them as the unique group that they are. It’s worth noting that while deer shed their entire antlers, pronghorn only shed the keratin sheath but retain the bony core.

Pronghorn do jump, though not as readily nor as high as deer. I’ve seen them jump washes. They have been seen to jump fences as high eight feet when chased (according to North Dakota Game and Fish) but are apparently less willing to do so if they aren’t being pursued. I suppose this reflects the fact that they are truly creatures of the open plains.

Some have suggested their astonishing speed is a left over adaptation to escape the extinct American “cheetah.” A romantic notion, although I don’t know if it’s true…I can see a benefit for being able to efficiently get between widely dispersed water sources or forage as quickly as possible.

As long as I’m running on and on myself, seems like I should put in a plug for Scott Carrier’s “Running After Antelope” book/radio story too!

Will this one go up for sale???