Scientific name:
Antilopcapra americana

Natural spread:
North America

the fork-buck or the Pronghorn is the single surviving type Ãœberfamilie of the Gabelhorntierartigen, that was restricted to North America, one once mold-is enough.

Horn-formation The horns of the fork-bucks differ from the forehead-arms of all other Paarhufer. The horns stand on narrow, massive bone-taps, the horn-substance develops it the bone of coating skin, with what the hair remains gotten, through Verhornung. First per year, the horn is changed. Under the old horn-vagina, a new one is created, that hoists the old cover, until it falls. The new horn is like rubber soft at first. It becomes firmly within 3-4 months and gains its final form. With the males, the horn forms a fork, possibly also one or two further rungs. The females have small, simple horns, that can also be missing completely. The surface of the horns is wizened, its length amounts until 30 cm.

Shape The upper side is sand-colored bay, the underside and some insignia at head and neck is knows. A white mirror is aufrichtbar notably in the area of the tail-root, that is hair in this region. The nose-holes are framed by a slender, nude grouch, anus-claws are missing. With a shoulder-height of 102 cm and 150 cm of total-length, fork-bucks are somewhat bigger than a deer.

Glands Pre-eyes and strip-glands are missing. Scent-glands are below the ears, unpaarig on the cross, on both sides of the tail-root, at which outside of the heels and between all claws. These glands form a sophisticated system of scent-signals, that with these herd-animals, in connection with optical signals - like the movable, white mirror - a very varied innerartliche communication enables.

Sinnesorgane The eyes of the fork-bucks are notably big. Hearing and sense of smell are well developed. As silence-places, such places are preferred, that bid good view for the surroundings.

Habitat Fork-bucks live in the tree-poor savanna, the prairie between Canada and Mexico. They shared this habitat with the prairie-bison. Came early wolves, coyotes and stone-eagles in consideration, than an enemy. The stocks of the edge of the extermination had brought pointless prosecution of the human being, the conversion of the prairie in field and grassland and a radiation-fungus-illness. Since the beginning of the 20. The Pronghorn was protected century, as a result, the continuance recovered and grew up again on 600 000 animals until today.

In the grassland, the fork-bucks of the changed surroundings adapted themselves. they are able in enormous run between the instep-wires of the pasture-fences through-springs. As inhabitants of the open prairie, fork-bucks are persevering and fast runners: with almost 80 km per hour, they are speed North America's fastest mammals. At the escape, they alter its direction from time to time. Usually, they trot in the amble. Fork-bucks feed grass, foliage and herbs, in the south of its spread-area, they eat also Kakteen.

Reproduction At the combination-time, adult bucks collect some females about itself in September. Between the bucks, rival-fights occur. The females isolate themselves in May or June of the following year of the herd to tossing. A throw exists from one with younger dams, with older from two boys. The calves are set aside separately. The mother visits its boys predominantly at night to suckling. In the age of 14 days, the boys of the herd can follow.