Osbornoceros (SciiFii)

The golden pronghorn (Osbornoceros aureus) is species of artiodactyl of the family Antilocapridae that originally lived in North America during the Late Miocene as an extinct species, Osbornoceros osborni, and the genus itself was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the modern open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, and scrublands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The golden pronghorn is strikingly similar to the American pronghorn (Antilocapra americana); it is lightly built and has a series of small horns that protruds from its skull. It is, like its relatives, a quadruped herbivore and primarily grazes on the grassy plains and open woodlands. The golden pronghorn is covered in a golden-and-white pelage (hence its name), which is short during the summer, but long and thick during the winter, and is an extremely fast runner to help it escape from predators. Like the American pronghorn, the golden pronghorn forms mixed-sex herds in the winter. In early spring, the herds break up, with young males forming bachelor groups, females forming harems, and adult males living solitarily. Some female bands share the same summer range, and bachelor male bands form between spring and fall. Females form dominance hierarchies with few circular relationships. Dominant females aggressively displace other females from feeding sites. Adult males either defend a fixed territory that females may enter, or defend a harem of females. A golden pronghorn may change mating strategies depending on environmental or demographic conditions. Where precipitation is high, adult males tend to be territorial and maintain their territories with scent marking, vocalizing, and challenging intruders. In these systems, territorial males have access to better resources than bachelor males. Females also employ different mating strategies. "Sampling" females visit several males and remain with each for a short time before switching to the next male at an increasing rate as estrous approaches. "Inciting" females behave as samplers until estrous, and then incite conflicts between males, watching and then mating with the winners. Before fighting, males try to intimidate each other. If intimidation fails, they lock horns and try to injure each other. "Quiet" females remain with a single male in an isolated area throughout estrous. Females continue this mating behavior for two to three weeks. When courting an estrous female, a male pronghorn approaches her while softly vocalizing and waving his head side to side, displaying his cheek patches. The scent glands on the golden pronghorn are on either side of the jaw, between the hooves, and on the rump. A receptive female remains motionless, sniffs his scent gland, and then allows the male to mount her. Golden pronghorns have a gestation period of 200 days. They breed in mid-September, and the doe carries her fawn until late May. Females usually bear within a few days of each other. Twin fawns are common. Newborn golden pronghorns weigh 2–4 kg (4.4–8.8 lbs), most commonly 3 kg (6.6 lbs). In their first 21–26 days, fawns spend time hiding in vegetation. Fawns interact with their mothers for 20–25 minutes a day; this continues even when the fawn joins a nursery. The females nurse, groom, and lead their young to food and water, as well as keep predators away from them. Females usually nurse the young about three times a day. Males are weaned 2–3 weeks earlier than females. Sexual maturity is reached at 15 to 16 months, though males rarely breed until three years old. Their lifespan is typically up to 14 years, rarely 18 years. The conservation status of the golden pronghorn is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the golden pronghorn's wide range.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii