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Pronghorn Antelope | |
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Habitat The pronghorn is found from sea level to 3,353 m in grasslands and in deserts (Gorog 1996). Adapted for speed and long distance seeing, it inhabits areas where both its sight and running will be unimpaired by woodland vegetation (Davis and Schmidly 1994). Temperature is not limiting, as pronghorn occur in cold continental climates and in warm deserts. Highest densities are reached on ranges with an annual precipitation rate of 10 to 15 inches (Kindschy and Sundstrom 1978). Readily accessible water is required for pronghorn. 95% of observed pronghorn in Wyoming’s Red Desert were within 3 miles of water (Sundstrom 1968). Some ecosystems that pronghorn are found in throughout their range include sagebrush, Texas savanna, southwestern shrub steppe, plains grasslands, and desert grasslands (Howard and Bushey 1995). Plants such as Ashe/Redberry juniper, Rocky Mountain juniper, Arizona cypress, Western live oak, Shinnery oak, and Mesquite are used as cover, while rangeland is typically covered by grasses such as fescues, wheatgrasses, gramas, bluestems, and sagebrushes (Howard and Bushey 1995). |