Wildlife: Saskatchewan's Grasslands National Park, 1 by Lilypon

Lilypon wrote:
Wildlife to be seen at Grasslands National Park

A fairly complete range of prairie fauna is still present, although several species have been extirpated from the area. Whether on purpose or through incidence, black-footed ferret, greater prairie chicken, bison, plains grizzly bear, prairie wolf, and wolverines are species that have been extirpated. Endangered species in the area include, swift fox, burrowing owl, mountain plover, greater sage grouse, and sage thrasher. The loggerhead shrike, peregrine falcon and Sprague's pipit are classified as a threatened species. Species of special concern are black-tailed prairie dog, red-headed woodpecker, ferruginous hawk, short-eared owl, long billed curlew, eastern yellow-bellied racer, and greater short-horned lizard. Common mammals in and near the proposed park are pronghorn antelope, mule deer, white-tailed deer, beaver, coyotes, red fox, skunks, porcupines, badgers, and bobcats. Birds include golden eagles, hawks, owls, grouse, songbirds, ducks and geese. For more specifics, see our species lists. Aquatic Life

Sources of water in the Park area are limited. Surface waters are derived mainly from spring runoff and vary seasonally. Many creeks flow in the spring and early summer but dry up during the hot, windy summer. The usefulness of surface water sources is greatly limited because much of the substrata consists of marine shales or soft clays with high concentrations of salts or mud in suspension. Potable water is not available within the park.

Catfish and carp are two of the most common fish species that inhabit the Frenchman River, Rock Creek and a few tributaries that maintain water for a part of the year. Painted turtles occur in some numbers along the fresh and standing waters of the Park. Leopard frogs and chorus frogs can also be found.

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Pronghorn (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Pronghorns were brought to scientific notice by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which found them in what is now South Dakota, USA. The Pronghorn's range extends from southern Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada to Sonora and Baja California in Mexico. They live on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. The eastern limit of their range is generally the Missouri River in the United States. The subspecies known as the Sonoran Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis) occurs in Arizona and Mexico.

Pronghorns live primarily in grasslands but also in brushland and deserts. They eat cacti, grasses, forbs, and browse plants.

Pronghorn newborns weigh 5 to 9 lb (2 to 4 kg). Adult male Pronghorns weigh 100 to 145 lb (45 to 60 kg) while females weigh 75 to 100 lb (35 to 45 kg). The main color of adults is brown or tan, with a white rump and belly and two white stripes on the throat. A short dark mane grows along the neck, and males also sport a black mask and black patches on the sides of the neck.

Male Pronghorns have horns about 5 to 17 in (125 to 430 mm) long with a prong. Females also grow horns, though these are relatively small, ranging from 1 to 6 in (25 to 150 mm), and sometimes barely visible; they are straight rather than pronged. Pronghorns have a distinct, musky odor. Males mark territory with a scent gland located on the sides of the head. Pronghorns are commonly called "Prairie Goats", "Speed Goats", or simply "goats" for this reason (as well as their resemblance to domesticated goats.)

The Pronghorn is built for maximum predator evasion through running; its speed is surpassed only by that of the cheetah. It can sustain high speeds longer than cheetahs, however. The top recorded speed was 61 mph (98 km/h). The Pronghorn has an oversized heart and lungs and their hair is hollow. Although built for speed, the pronghorn is a very poor jumper. Their ranges are often affected by sheep ranchers' fences. However, they can be seen going under fences. For this reason the Arizona Antelope Foundation and others are in the process of removing the bottom barbed wire from the fences, and/or installing a barbless bottom wire. The Pronghorn also sports a very large set of eyes that are said to be the equivalent of 8X binoculars, and have a 320 degree field of vision.

By 1908, hunting pressure had reduced the Pronghorn population to about 20,000. Protection of habitat and hunting restrictions have allowed them to recover to 500,000 Pronghorns. Wolves, coyotes and bobcats are the major predators. Golden eagles have been reported to prey on fawns.

Pronghorns are now numerous enough that they exceed the human population in all of Wyoming and parts of northern Colorado. The Pronghorn is widely hunted in western states for purposes of population control and food, as its meat is rich and lean.

Three subspecies are considered endangered in all (A. a. sonoriensis, A. a. peninsularis) or part of their ranges (A. a. mexicana)

I was so pleased that this fellow allowed us to get close to him:

This message was edited May 10, 2007 1:38 PM