6 days ago
Yellowstone wolves ‘left in dust' while trying to catch speedy pronghorn
Wolves can attain speeds of 30-plus mph in bursts. But in an open chase they cannot come close to catching the planet's second fastest land animal – the North American pronghorn.
These elegant beauties, sometimes referred to as antelope, are commonly seen in Yellowstone National Park, notably in Lamar Valley. But rarely is their remarkable speed – pronghorn can run nearly 60 mph – on display.
The accompanying footage, captured recently in Lamar Valley, shows several pronghorn easily outrunning wolves from the Junction Butte wolf pack.
'It's like watching Usain Bolt race against a high-school kid,' the narrator says. (Bolt, a retired sprinter from Jamaica, is the world-record holder for 100 meters.)
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The footage, captured by Jackson Hole Ecotours guide Billy Fabian, is worth watching to the end because a final segment really showcases the pronghorns' speed.
"The wolves were no match for the speed of the second fastest land animal on earth," Fabian stated via Instagram. "The pronghorn easily left the wolves in the dust."
The world's fastest land animal, of course, is the cheetah, which can reach a top speed of about 75 mph.
