Life Cycle of Pronghorn
About late Summer, or early Fall, male pronghorn begin to gather in their harem of does. Herds or harems can be just about any size, from about four to five with one buck, to 20 or so. The larger herds will have more than one buck. It is more unusual to see the larger herds, especially in the Spring and Summer, but the antelope do gather into larger groups in the Winter.
Fawn are born in May or June, with the large majority of births being twins. Pronghorn fawns do not have spots, like deer do. But they will lie still in the prairie grass for several hours, if not days. This motionlessness is their main defense against predators, such as coyotes, bobcats, and eagles. The light brown coloring allows them to blend in well with the browns of the dry prairie grasses and sage brush. Less than half of the fawns that are born in June will live until the middle of July. In the wild, it is estimated that antelope can live up to 10 years. Antelope have been known to live up to twelve years in captivity.
Species that prey on antelope are mainly coyotes. Wolves and bobcats also prey on pronghorn antelope. Fawns have been known to have been taken by Golden Eagles.
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Photo by Kevin Wheeler
