Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
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Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)

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Description:
Pronghorn have a light brown coat with white undersides. Males have black cheek patches and forked, diverging horns. Females lack cheek patches and have either much smaller or no horns. Both sexes have a white rump patch with erectile hairs that are raised in times of danger and flight. Pronghorn can weigh between 90 and 155 pounds.

Habitat:
Grasslands, brush lands, sagebrush steppe, deserts and alpine plateaus.

Range:
Pronghorn are found in western and mid-western North America.

Diet:
Pronghorn are browsers, eating leaves, herbaceous plants or shrubs, but not grasses.

Life Span:
7 to 15 years in captivity, 1 to 6 in the wild.

Family Life:
Herds are normally family groups with a single male (buck) watching over several females (does) and their young (kids or fawns). A doe will give birth to one to three kids during spring.

Status:
While once numbering in the millions, these animals were extensively hunted. They now have a stabilized population around 600,000. They still face shrinking habitat due to farming, ranching and other human development. The Sonoran subspecies is endangered.
Pronghorn are the fastest land mammal in North America. These animals can run at top speeds of 58 mph for short distances and can cruise steadily at 32 mph. Named for their horns; pronghorn do not actually have true horns. They have a permanent bone core covered with a keratinous sheath comprised of hard-packed hairs. It is shed each year after the breeding season. The shed sheath is eaten by mice, squirrels and rabbits. Pronghorn are unique in the animal kingdom with this type of shed horn.
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​203-394-6565
​info@beardsleyzoo.org 
1875 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06610
Open 9am-4pm daily
​Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is dedicated to acquainting a diverse public to the delicate balance that exists between living things and their environment.

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is a 501(c)(3) not for profit owned and operated by the Connecticut Zoological Society.

2019 Kids Out and About #1
Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Connecticut - Still Revolutionary
Weekly Best of Fairfield County Readers' Poll 2014
FC Buzz Events - Arts & Culture of Fairfield County
© 2022 Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
  • Home
  • About
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
    • Press
  • Guest Info
    • Accessibility
    • Calendar
    • COVID Guidelines
    • For Kids >
      • Coloring Pages
      • Zoo Patrol
      • Zoo Tots
    • Our Animals >
      • Eastern Rat Snake
    • Our Plants
    • Parents
    • Zoo Cams >
      • Outdoor Red Panda Cam
      • Indoor Red Panda Cam
      • Outdoor Spider Monkey Cam
      • Indoor Spider Monkey Cam
      • Otter Cam
    • Zoo Etiquette
    • Zoo Map
  • Membership
  • Education
    • Citizen Science >
      • FrogWatch
      • MonarchWatch
    • Conservation >
      • City Nature Challenge
      • Conservation Pledge
    • Cool Blue >
      • Cool Blue Schools
    • Programs
    • Educational Resources
    • Evening Lectures
    • Field Trips
    • Just 4 Teens >
      • CDC
      • Explorers
    • Teachers
  • Support
    • Animal Sponsorship
    • Appeal
    • Corporate Support
    • Donate
    • Events
    • Gift Guide
    • Honor & Remember
    • Monthly Giving
    • Naming Opportunities
    • Wish List
  • Parties, Rentals & Weddings
    • Birthdays
    • Private Events
    • Weddings
    • Rates and Details
    • Preferred Vendors
    • Preferred Wedding Vendors
    • Event Guidelines
  • Volunteer
    • Interns
  • Buy Tickets