Prairie springer (SciiFii)

A prairie springer (Neoantilocapra marsupialis) is a species of pronghorn that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, and deserts across North America to help boost biodiversity. The prairie springer are very small, even smaller than the common pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and growing to lengths of 3.5-4 feet and weight between 70-100 pounds. The jim (male) typically outsizes the jane (female). With prairie springers, jims and janes are easily distinguished from one another, mainly by the fact that jims have horns and janes do not. The prairie springer mimics the African springbok antelope (Antidorcas marsupialis) in both physiology and behavior. Prairie springers can handle arid conditions quite well, being physically adapted to do so, allowing them to survive even in the harshest desert regions that North America has to offer. Prairie springers are mixed feeders, mainly grazing on grasses when they are at their freshest, but have been known to graze on sedges and forbs during dry spells. In areas with deciduous trees, during the autumn, prairie springer will feed on still-succulent freshly-fallen leaves, as a means of bulking up before the start of the winter. During the winter time, prairie springers mainly subside themselves on shrubs. Prairie springers can fully draw moisture from the plants they eat, allowing them to go for months without directly drinking water, helping them to survive well in desert and drought conditions. Prairie springers are a highly social pronghorns, and move about in herds numbering anywhere from half a dozen to as many as 4,000. As they are peaceful herbivores, prairie springers are often welcomed in the presence of other herbivores, such as fork-oxen, capybara, prairie-harts, camelids, elk, bison, horses, marsh prong, prong-oxen, ground sloths, saiga, and elephants. During the winter months, especially in areas with deep snow, prairie springers will often travel in the dug-out trench-trails of bison, mammoths, camels, and other ungulates, though they themselves can move through snow quite well when they need to. They are also competent swimmers, able to ford across rivers. The prairie springers is a highly athletic ungulate. They are able to jump as high into the air as 7 feet from both a standing and a running start, and are able to cover 25 feet in a single bound. Like most prairie dwelling pronghorns, prairie springers are able to run quite fast for long distances; they can also run at speeds of 55 mph for a distance of 3-4 miles, and can cover such a distance in a matter of only a few minutes. During the mating season, jims will put on a show for janes by showing how high they can jump. The two jims that jump the highest often settle the difference of dominant male in the lek by having a horn-sparing competition. The conservation status of the prairie springer is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the prairie springer's wide range and its tolerance to most of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii