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Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! In other words, there are no tricks to the pronghorn antelope. So why are they so amazing at running? After some years of wondering about pronghorn in his researches, Dr. Byers has come up with a compelling theory. Though there is no predator today who can catch a pronghorn at a sprint, this wasn't always the case.
Byers says the pronghorn runs this fast because it is chased by the "ghosts of predators past" -- including American cheetahs. Byers argues that the pronghorn perfected its running prowess well over 10, years ago when the North American continent was still home to swift-footed predators like cheetahs, long-legged hyenas, the giant short-faced bear, huge jaguars and saber-toothed cats, along with the more familiar, albeit slower, coyotes and wolves.
Predators were much bigger and much faster back then, and thus forced the pronghorn -- and some similarly built and now extinct cousins -- to evolve to be incredibly fast.
Though the predators disappeared, the pronghorns' ability to outrun them has persisted. And now we have a marvel of speed still roaming the prairies, perhaps a relic but still fascinating. There are two things, however, that pronghorn cannot outrun, and these threats come from humans.
The first is habitat loss from urban sprawl, and the second is miles upon miles of fencing along roadsides and surrounding ranches, farms, and developments.
Habitat loss is a rather obvious threat. Pronghorn need vast spaces to forage for food. The less grassland they have, the less food they have, and the lower their chances for successful reproduction and survival. Not as obvious is the threat of fencing. Pronghorn are amazing runners, but they cannot jump fences.
We may think that because they look a little bit like deer, they can spring over a fence with the same lightness and nonchalance. But that is not the case, and miles of fencing put up along migration routes is a serious problem by limiting access to food and blocking off paths to suitable habitats, as well as room to outrun remaining predators.
Fence removal programs have gone a long way in helping the pronghorn. In , the Yellowstone Field Office worked with landowners and the Gallatin National Forest to remove two miles of wooden fence and barbed wire, restoring the local pronghorns' migration route. Similarly, in and around Carrizo Plain National Monument, miles upon miles of old barbed wire fencing remained in the area decades after the last human residents had moved away, creating a somewhat haphazard maze of barbed wire throughout the area.
Volunteers continually help to remove or modify these fences to provide the newly reintroduced pronghorn room to escape coyotes and find forbs, their main food source. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance.
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