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| Newborn fawn F1- 5.15.14, AKA "Fuzz Butt," photo courtesy of Bill Lydecker |
We would like to welcome and announce the arrival of our
first pronghorn fawn of the season! Baby
F1-5.15.14 (AKA “Fuzz Butt”) was seen by Conservancy Naturalists Bill Lydecker
and Vicki Bingaman on May 15. Bill and
Vicki have been conducting driving surveys for pronghorn to document their
distribution and numbers, which has been a big help in advancing the
Conservancy’s understanding of this species on Tejon Ranch. Even better, using Bill’s excellent photos of
the pronghorn, Bill and Vicki have been able to identify unique horn structures
and coat patterns that allow them to recognize individuals. For example, compare the photos of the two
males B1-4.8.14 and B1-4.15.14 and note the differences in the amount of white
on the necks. These are clearly two
different bucks. Therefore Bill and
Vicki know that female D1-5.8.14 looked pregnant on May 8, and then they saw
the same female with a fawn on May 15.
This is incredibly valuable information that greatly enhances the
ability of the Conservancy to monitor the pronghorn herd at Tejon Ranch.
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| Male B1- 4.15.14, photo courtesy of Bill Lydecker |
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| Male B1- 4.08.14, photo courtesy of Bill Lydecker |
Pronghorn (Antilocapra
americana) is the sole member of the family Antilocapridae. They are often referred to as “antelope” (in
fact the Antelope Valley was named after these guys), but they are unrelated to
Old World antelope which are in a different taxonomic family. Pronghorn are the fastest North American land
mammal; cruising at 30-40 mph and reaching top speeds of 45 mph. The probably evolved to outrun American
cheetahs, a species that went extinct about 12,000 years ago. However, new-born fawns are not mobile for 5 days
or so; and thus are most vulnerable to predators during that period. Females typically give birth to their fawns
in shrubs or other vegetation to hide them until they are able to run.
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| Female D1- 5.08.14, photo courtesy of Bill Lydecker |
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| Female D1- 5.08.14, photo courtesy of Bill Lydecker |
Pronghorn were very abundant in parts of California prior to
European settlement. They were
extirpated from the Antelope Valley and southern San Joaquin Valley by the turn
of the 20th Century.
Pronghorn were reintroduced to Tejon Ranch in the 1970s. The Tejon Ranch herd is currently the
southernmost herd in California. We
believe the herd on Tejon Ranch may number in the low 20s of individuals, and
the last few years of drought has not helped the populations much. We also believe that coyotes may be predating
new-born fawns before they are up and running.
The surveys that Bill and Vicki are conducting will help us identify
important areas of habitat for pronghorn and think about management strategies
to enhance their population. For
example, ensuring that there is adequate shrub cover for does to hide their
fawns and installing irrigated food plots that can be turned on during drought
periods are possible strategies.
