Almost everyone knows the cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal, but we don’t have them here in the United States. So, who are the speed champions of the U.S.? The pronghorn! Pronghorn are the fastest land animal in the western hemisphere, running up to 60 m.p.h. with bounds of 20 feet at a time. They could beat a cheetah in a race of endurance, since a cheetah can only maintain its super speed for short distances. A pronghorn can run at a fairly fast speed of 30 m.p.h. for miles. Speed is one of its best adaptations for avoiding predators. Another adaptation is its incredible eyesight. With its large eyes, the pronghorn can detect movement up to four miles away! Sometime when you are in the car, ask your mom or dad to tell you when you have gone four miles from your house—it’s a pretty long way to see!

Because pronghorn rely so much on their eyesight, they live in grassland and desert areas. They do not like to live in areas where plants are more than 30 inches high because they cannot see possible danger. Also, although they will eat some grasses, they prefer flowering plants, shrubs, sagebrush and a variety of cactuses. They do not drink much water because they get the water they need from the plants they eat.

Pronghorn are most vulnerable to predators like wolves, coyotes and bobcats when they are very young. The mothers of fawns will leave them for up to five hours at a time. Twins are separated and hidden in different locations. Though this might not seem safe, it is actually good protection. The young fawns have no scent and lie very still hidden in the grass. By staying away from her young, the mother keeps a predator’s attention away from where they might be hidden.

Pronghorn stay in small groups during the spring and summer, but may live in a loose herd of up to 1,000 members in the fall and winter. The herd will run as a group if it senses danger, which makes it very hard for a predator to single out one animal to attack.