Category:Pronghorn

Prong"horn`, n. (zoöl.)

Defn: an artiodactyl(even-toed) mammal thought of as an american antelope (antilocapra americana), yet it is not a true antelope. It is a native of the interior western and central plains near the Rocky Mountains. The upper parts are mostly yellowish brown; the under parts, the sides of the head and throat, and the buttocks, are white. The horny sheath of the horns is shed annually. It is also called cabrée, cabut, prongbuck, and pronghorned antelope, or simply antelope because it bears a close resemblance to the Old World antelopes.

A true antelope is a member of the family Bovidae. The Pronghorn belongs to the family Antilocapridae. True antelope do not shed any part of their horns, which are always unbranched. The cores of antelope horns are living bone covered with strong, thick layers of dead horn tissue.

Pronghorns have branching horns and they shed the outer horny sheaths yearly.

Deer antlers are covered with living skin ("velvet") only while growing, which is then shed. The bony tissue, after it has matured, dies and is shed at the end of the season.