The cheetah is undoubtedly the fastest animal on land but it tires quickly. The prize for the fastest runner over longer distances goes to a goat-like mammal indigenous to North America called the pronghorn.
The pronghorn can reach speeds up to 89 km/h, which it can sustain over a distance of 800 metres and a speed of 56 km/h, which it can sustain for 6 km! So, while the cheetah may get a head start, the pronghorn would likely finish first over a longer distance.
The pronghorn’s hooves have two long, pointed toes cushioned to help take the shock when running at high speeds. The pronghorn runs with its mouth open allowing it to take in lots of oxygen to fuel its running muscles. Funnily enough, although they are excellent runners, pronghorns are not good jumpers. If they come across a fence, they will go under it rather than over it.
The pronghorn is native to North America and is literally in a class of its own. It is often called an antelope but it is not classified as one. It is the sole surviving member of the family Antilocapridae. Its closest living member is actually the giraffe! In America it is known by many names – prongbuck and American antelope, among others.
Pronghorns have backward-curving horns which split to form forward-pointing prongs which give the species its name. They graze on a variety of plants and prefer non-woody flowering plants. They can also eat some plants found in the grasslands that are poisonous to cattle and livestock.
Pronghorns have great eye-sight, with a nearly 360-degree field of vision, to help them evade predators such as wolves, and bobcats. The American pronghorn is hunted throughout much of its natural range.
Picture Credit : Google
