With ‘his’ long legs seeming to go every direction except the direction he was running.
On one of my Montana camping trips I found a pair of pronghorn fawns frolicking near a fence line with their mother some distance away. It was fairly late in the morning so the light was beginning to get harsh and I knew I’d have difficulty getting catch lights in their eyes but I simply can’t resist pronghorn fawns, no matter the time of day.
Suddenly, for no reason I could discern, one of the fawns began running full tilt toward his mother.
At this age young pronghorn fawns seem to be all legs and each of his appeared to have a mind of its own.
His left front leg is pointing straight down with its foot touching the ground but the other three look to be going every which way. It was a pretty good distance to his mother so I got quite a few photos of him running and I remember thinking at the time there’s no way he isn’t going to crash and burn with him going lickety-split and his very long legs so out of control.
But he didn’t and mama seemed relieved. The photographer definitely was.
Ron
Wonderful series Ron, thanks for sharing!
Charlotte Norton
so so precious!! oh how I love your daily photos, Ron! Thank you…..
Good. Thanks very much, Karen.
Adorable!
Thanks, April.
I love that word “akimbo” which perfectly describes this little one’s legs! Wonderful photos … I loved seeing pronghorn so often when I lived in Wyoming, absolutely hated hunting season. (Still do!)
I should have thought to use it, Chris.
Awwww.
And those legs…
🙂
I believe the pronghorn is the second-fastest land animal in the world. Guess they are sure-footed from the beginning 🙂
Yup, after the cheetah.
That first photo is a hoot. Wikipedia says the Pronghorns are related to Giraffes. Your first photo makes that abundantly clear based on the gangliness factor.
Thanks, Lyle. Glad you enjoyed it.
That is beautiful Ron. Actually made me a little teary eyed. Really miss our pronghorns here. We have had so many moved elsewhere due to development. We still have some, but nothing like we had when we first moved here 15 years ago. And then of course the long time residents tell me of the pronghorns roaming through the hills where I now live. Guess you never can stop progress, but it is sad to see how we displace nature as we increase.
Very interesting story from Alison. That would be quite an experience.
Everett, personally I wouldn’t call it progress but I know what you mean.
The same thing is happening to pronghorn here in the Salt Lake Valley. New “developments” like the Inland Port and the new prison are decimating our pronghorn population.
What endearing shots — especially the reassuring kiss from mom. 💗
Thank you, Marty.
This was sure a fun post to see/read ! I’d had no idea that Pronghorns
were ever in their lives gangly or gawky, as I’d only ever seen herds of
them running full tilt—-which is almost always described as “flowing’–and
that is exactly what it looks like–unbelievably graceful, and much like
water–even more impressive, after seeing your capture of those baby LEGS !
Kris, their ratio of legs to body is even more exaggerated when they’re younger than this little guy.
Anthromorphizing me says the fawn was minding its own business when a grasshopper hopped. “MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! It touched me! Something touched meeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
Who knows, Arwen. Anthropomorphizing you could be right.
Your story reminds me have a wonderful incident when I was charged, at full tilt, by two fawns consecutively, both of whom stopped short exactly 18 inches from me and then commenced to circle and sniff me with a couple of low grunts.
I had also wondered if I was going to be run over! And I was enchanted by their thorough examination. Mama deer, who stood at the verge of the words, stamped her foot in clear disapproval, and both of the fawns trotted it back to her. In a moment, they had all vanished into the woods.
I had been practicing tai chi at the rim of a pond immediately prior to their foray. Perhaps this piqued their interest, as I might’ve looked like nothing as much as an extraordinarily gangly and outsized heron… And I wonder if false charges are a common form of play that fawns engage in, given that they can hardly engage in the kind of rough and tumble wrestling enjoyed by so many animal youngsters…
That must have been fun, Alison. And perhaps even a little disconcerting.
Fun! They DO have to get moving instantly and are fun to watch.
Always think of them as “goats” in their movements and actions. A Fish & Game warden pointed out many years ago that when they’d rescue them they were and handful and not at all docile as deer fawns tend to be…. 🙂
Judy, when they’re very young I think of pronghorn fawns as looking like jackrabbits with legs three feet long.
The fawns are far from docile. I learned that lesson when I rescued a very young one that was hung up in barbed wire. The little rascal kicked me very deliberately. It definitely wasn’t a love tap.
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2016/07/07/a-pronghorn-fawn-and-a-near-disaster-with-barbed-wire/
Sounds very familiar – don’t see it much here as there just aren’t many antelope and, fortunately, in the immediate area, not a lot of fencing. Does happen to deer fawns as well unfortunately.