Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)

Though my recent trip to the neighboring province of Alberta was quite brief I saw a remarkable number of interesting things, not the least of which was the Pronghorn pictured above. This animal was high on my list of things to see because we have nothing else like it on this continent and it has been many years since I saw one. Wikipedia has a good article on the Pronghorn and here is some information I found interesting. This is the fastest land animal in America and has been clocked at 80 kmh, making it the second fastest land animal in the world. Only the African Cheetah is faster and then only for very short bursts. It is not an antelope (as I had long thought) but a separate zoological family that evolved independently of old world antelope.