The Path of the Pronghorn

by Cat Urbigkit, photos by Mark Gocke

Boyds Mill, 2010. 32 pgs. Nonfiction.

Fastest land mammal in North America and second fastest mammal in the world (cheetah is number one), the pronghorn is an animal Utah children may see or have seen in real life as well as in this fascinating new book. Pronghorn, you may be interested to know, have four stomachs, begin to run days after birth, are the smallest ruminant game animal in North America (rarely weighing more than 120 lbs.), and as adults will fight off predators to save their young. One confusion is that the story begins with "a pronghorn antelope doe" giving birth to a fawn, but several pages later the author explains that pronghorn are not actually antelope and though they "resemble African antelope . . . they actually have no close relative." Still, a fine volume for young animal lovers (with great photographs) about a local species.

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