Colorado is Home to the Western Hemisphere’s Fastest Animal

Look, it's a deer, it's an elk, it's an antelope ... nope, definitely not an antelope, it's a pronghorn.

Despite their misclassification as an antelope, pronghorns are common in America's west. In the West, however, we still lovingly call them antelope since they resemble our image of an antelope and are as close as we'll get to one.

Read More: HOT QUESTION: At What Elevation Do Deer Turn Into Elk?

A Little Bit About Colorado Pronghorn

You'll see pronghorn around Colorado in the eastern plains, in the desert landscape of western Colorado, and even in some of the mountain parks and San Luis Valley. They can handle all types of conditions.

Like deer, males are called bucks and females are does. A good way to tell them a part, bucks will always have black cheeks. Both buck and doe sprout horns which they shed and regrow each year.

Get our free mobile app

Just How Fast Can Colorado Pronghorn Run?

Fast! While not as fast as an African cheetah, it can sustain its speed for longer. A pronghorn can carry a speed of 35 mph for four miles, 42 mph for one mile, and 55 mph for half a mile.

They're built for speed and not for jumping. You may see a pronghorn sprint under a fence rather than over it.

There are even instances where a pronghorn was witnessed with an almost 24-foot stride.

If you've never seen a pronghorn in the wild, just spend a bit of time in Colorado's Grand Valley, they're everywhere.

arbongallery id="62e9479ab52df263bda33e9a"]