How pronghorns became so fast
On Colorado’s high plains and sagebrush steppe, the pronghorn moves like it’s running for its life. It's the fastest land mammal in North America – 60 miles an hour. Faster than any predator alive today. So why the need for that much speed? Biologists think pronghorn evolved alongside a long-gone predator: the American cheetah. This Ice Age cat once roamed what is now Colorado. With its long legs, short snout and semi-retractable claws, it looked a lot like today’s African cheetah. And it may have been just as fast. The American cheetah went extinct thousands of years ago. But the pronghorn? It endured, thanks to more than speed. With eyesight as sharp as 8-power binoculars and the safety of traveling in herds, this Colorado native has been outrunning extinction ever since, the last remaining member of its family tree.
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Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. See more postcards.
