Wyoming Wildlife May 2024 - 41

Do they grow
antlers or horns?
Pronghorn originally got
their name from their
pronged horns. They are
utilized by the animal to
defend themselves and their
fawns against predators as
well as to spar with other
males during the rut.
Pronghorn horns
are made of keratin,
the same material of
human nails and hair.
The accessories growing on a pronghorn's
head may resemble an antler, branched or
pronged and shed annually, however, pronghorn
grow horns. Male and female pronghorn
can grow horns, although the horns of males
are larger and more pronounced.
Pronghorn grow a new set of horns between
November and March. Their horns begin
to grow around a bony core called a prong
found underneath their present set of horns.
The prong is triangular-shaped, and the first
sign of growth for the new set of horns starts
at the tip. Over a few months, the growth
will continue upward. When the new set of
horns is fully formed, around early December,
the current set of horns will fall off, revealing
the new set of horns underneath. Humans
have a similar experience. As children,we have
baby teeth. As we age, our adult teeth start
forming and growing within our gums, below
our present baby teeth. Once the adult teeth
are formed, they grow upward and require
more space, causing our baby teeth to become
wiggly and eventually fall out.
The outer sheath known
as the horn is shed
annually by pronghorn
and is regrown between
November and March
each year.
This permanent part
of their skull is called a
prong - a bony structure
attached to the pronghorn's
skull upon which new
sheath growth begins.
(Photos by Patrick Owen/WGFD)
Much like human teeth,
the regrowth of the new
sheath forces the old
horn to become loose and
fall off.
Wyoming Wildlife | 41

Wyoming Wildlife May 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wyoming Wildlife May 2024

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