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Although the decimation of the American Bison is well known, little is mentioned about the decimation of his speedy companion on the Great Plains, the North American Pronghorn. In the early 1800's, the pronghorn population was estimated to be 35 million throughout the West. The herds were soon decimated by conversion of rangeland to cropland, professional meat hunters, and ranchers who mistakenly believed that pronghorns were competing with livestock for forage. The pronghorn is the only surviving member of the Antilocapridae family and has been in North America for over a million years. Second only to the cheetah in speed, the pronghorn is the fastest land animal on earth, running at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, with the ability to run long distances at speeds of 30-40 miles per hour. You are highly unlikely to see the pronghorn as up close and personal as this depiction, and thus the purpose of this painting: to bring a renewed appreciation of this remarkable animal in a manner that the viewer is never likely to enjoy without binoculars.
