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Boy feeding pronghorn, ca. 1930s. (Charles J. Belden Photographs and Negatives, AHC). |
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Dinner time on the Pitchfork Ranch, ca. 1930s. (Charles J. Belden Photographs and Negatives, AHC) |
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| Wyoming is home to the largest number of pronghorn in North America - an estimated 512,000. This compares to an estimated 508,000 human residents. Though the Wyoming landscape continues to gain human developments, there still remain large areas of open range for the pronghorn to roam. This is one factor that has allowed the pronghorn to flourish in Wyoming. Strict hunting regulations enforced by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department have also allowed the pronghorn population to recover from a low of about 7000 animals in the late 1800s. One major advantage that the pronghorn possesses is its speed. The pronghorn can reach speeds of more than 60 miles per hour and can sustain speeds of 45 miles per hour for long periods of time. Early travelers to the West called it the prairie ghost because it was gone almost as soon as it was seen. |
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