Double jeopardy from the same source.
I’ll be honest about my initial reaction to this handsome pronghorn buck. When I see pronghorn or bison on Antelope Island I usually pass them by unless they’re in good light and doing something unusual or interesting. Both species are common on the island and if they’re near the road there’s typically a cluster of tourist vehicles near them. I don’t do well in crowds.
So, two days ago when I spotted this buck near the road in a fairly remote area of the island I drove right on by, but then I felt guilty about doing so. After all, he was close to the road, he was in good light, he wasn’t obstructed by the ubiquitous mullein on the island and there were no tourist vehicles to be seen. And besides, ‘common’ doesn’t mean uninteresting.
So I turned around and got him in my viewfinder. I’m glad I did.
Pronghorn bucks have scent glands (subauricular glands) embedded in their black cheek patches that they use to scent mark vegetation – typically mullein or teasel. The process of scent marking is called “cheek rubbing” and I see pronghorn bucks doing it often. Typically they mouth or sniff the tip of the stalk or branch and then rub it with their scent gland in their black cheek patch.
That’s exactly what this buck was doing to patches of dried mullein as he walked along.
But he got into trouble when he got to this spot. Here he’s attempting to rub his scent gland on one or both of the dark mullein stalks beneath and behind his chin and neck.
But there was a bleached, white sunflower? stalk right next to the mullein that…
became entangled in his fur and left horn. So when he lifted his head…
the sunflower stalk…
came along for the ride. I’d say he looks befuddled. And more than a little silly.
At first he tried to ignore it, probably hoping it would just drop off. When that didn’t happen as he walked along…
he eventually lowered his head as he walked in an attempt to dislodge it.
It worked, but only temporarily. The sunflower stayed on the ground as he walked over it with his front feet but when…
he tried to walk over it with his back feet…
it became problematic again. In an attempt to get rid of it a second time he kicked his rear right leg a couple of times but…
at first that only made things worse. I took almost 30 photos before he finally…
was able to get rid of the pesky sunflower (if that’s what it is). After that he nonchalantly walked off as if nothing had happened.
I don’t giggle very often but I was giggling at this guy the entire time. I prefer to think of it as more of a snicker.
Ron
Oh no, you’re not getting out of that so easy. You said you giggled at first and then tried to change it. But we know the truth and I like the thought of you giggling. It just makes me giggle.
Nice pictures.
C’mon, Angela. I don’t giggle!
He is quite the handsome boy! I’m so glad you went back to give him his photographic due. I may or may not have gotten myself into similar predicaments with dried vegetation and other such Velcro-esque materials. 😉 (Some days, I really shouldn’t be let out without a handler. Sigh.)
” I’m so glad you went back to give him his photographic due”
Marty, I came very, very close to not going back. If there’d been a vehicle coming from either direction I wouldn’t have. Sure glad I did.
“Sure glad I did.” Me too, Ron. Me too.
Perhaps because I am a complete klutz and could see that (or something similar) happening to me I didn’t laugh. I was fascinated but I felt for the poor guy.
Great series and I am glad you went back – and that he finally got rid of that extraneous bit of vegetation. I suspect as well as an exasperated sigh or two he was ‘saying’ a few things too.
Thanks, EC. I had empathy but I couldn’t help but laugh.
Great photos and commentary, his experience is my life in a nutshell!
Thanks, April.
It’s not nice to laugh at others’ misfortunes, but it’s hard not to with this poor fellow. Great series, Ron—and thanks for the “cheek patch” lesson! Pronghorns were always one of my favorite things about living in Laramie —I’d usually see at least a few, or even a small herd, standing so still but very alert in the distance, while out on my weekend bike rides. They didn’t miss a thing! Just wonderful creatures to behold.
Chris, they sure don’t “miss a thing”. They put those big eyes of theirs to very good use.
Oh poor guy was kinda having a bad morning, eh? ;-D
I’d say.
Very fun post! So glad you stopped. It’s neat to see the anatomy in such detail – the spindly legs don’t really look strong enough to support that stocky body. And those veins – a phlebotomist’s dream! It looks like he’s also got some ticks to worry about – are the tick-borne diseases a problem down by you?
“And those veins – a phlebotomist’s dream”
That got a laugh out of me, Carolyn. My mother and two sisters were nurses and they often talked about the challenges of dealing with uncooperative veins.
We don’t have as much of a problem with ticks as vectors of human disease as folks do back east but to some degree ticks are a problem pretty much everywhere – for both humans and wildlife. For example, many of our moose really suffer from them.
Yeah, the poor moose were what I was thinking of looking at this guy. I’m pretty tolerant of bugs, but don’t see the point of ticks.
Funny! Thanks for the series. Chuckled all the way through.
Glad you enjoyed it, Brett. Thanks.
Non stop laughing out loud! Poor guy gets the sunflower hat off his head only to get attacked by it! Great instincts Ron to turn around – what a reward for doing so!
Kathleen, incidents like this one make me wonder how many interesting wildlife encounters I’ve missed because I didn’t turn around and go back. Probably a bunch…
What a wonderful series. Pronghorn are such magnificent animals, convergently similar to many antelope species of Africa. I’m going to share your photo essay this morning with my mammalogy students. It will be a nice distraction with finals week starting today. Early in the semester, they visited the Fossil Discovery Center of nearby Madera County and learned about the mammals that roamed the San Joaquin Valley during the Pleistocene. They included Colombian mammoths, giant ground sloths, horses, dire wolves, saber-toothed cats, and American cheetahs who were in hot pursuit of pronghorn. All of those species, including horses (a few species) went extinct, that is except for the pronghorn, which still roams our wide open spaces today. Thank you for taking the photos and sharing with us.
Patrick, the Pleistocene story regarding pronghorn and the American cheetah is an interesting one. The way I heard it, it’s suspected that the cheetah was the primary source of the selection pressure that made pronghorns so fast. So now pronghorns have incredible speed that they rarely need or use.
Hi to your mammalogy students!
Will do. It’s curious how the American cheetah went extinct when their prey persisted, but other N. American big cats went extinct too, all except for the mountain lion. Old World cheetahs have persisted, but they have their own problems. 🙁
How embarrassing! This fella was having his social media moment, and it all went W. C. Fields on him.
That was fun.
And again, I learned something new re the scent glands.
Thanks, Michael. I learned something new too. I knew about the scent glands but I didn’t know their name until I researched it.
Well done Ron! Best laugh I have had in awhile, thank you!
Thanks, Shirley.
It’s always worse when you have an audience!
Which I provided. I hope he isn’t lying in wait for me next time I visit the island.
Reminds me of the slapstick comedians of old. Thanks for the chuckles.
Lyle, I’ve never been a fan of slapstick from humans but it’s another story when it comes from critters.
I laughed through this whole post! lolol he was a bit of a “clodheimer” lolo
Good! Thanks, Kellie.
What a great series. Glad you went back and got them — and the pronghorn gets his 15 minutes! 🙂
Thank you, Cathy.
Poor guy ! I immediately thought of how frustrated I get when the use of just
ONE hand won’t do to manipulate some pesky item–no, BOTH of them are
necessary……he could have used some fingers at the ends of those gorgeous
long legs– but they would surely have slowed him down–there’s little in the
world as beautiful as those critters opening out into a run!
Kris, it’s literally jaw-dropping to watch them run full out. They don’t run full speed very often because they don’t have to, but I’ve seen them do it a few times.
Thanks, Ron. I enjoyed these photos very much. And Pronghorns are actually an exotic species to me as I live on the east coast. I loved seeing them when we drove across country a few times!
Thanks, Joanne. “Exotic” is relative, isn’t it.
Oh to just have a pair of hands. When you see animals and birds struggle with something like this we should be so thankful for hands. These are outstanding Pronghorn shots Ron. So glad you stopped and took the time to photograph this beautiful animal.
I have watched them crawl under fences here and have read countless times how Game and Fish all over the state are making ways for them to cross roads etc because they can’t or won’t jump fences. Then a couple winters ago I saw that spectacular video of thousands of them moving through the snow in Wyoming I think and right there in the video they are all jumping fences.
Thanks, Everett. They can jump fences if they have (want) to. They don’t very often but I’ve seen them do it a couple of times.
And your point about the usefulness of hands is well taken.
Delightful series! Thanks for the morning giggle, Ron!
Thank you, Melanie.
He didn’t think it was funny , but I couldn’t keep from laughing.
Kenneth, I never saw him smile. Not once…
Critters DO get in a bit of a pickle now and then….. 😉 Looks like he hasn’t completely shedded out and a bit “buggie”. Doesn’t look like any sunflower I’m familiar with BUT! I’d forgotten about the scent glands on them.
Our dog is bad about ending up with a Gooseberry branch across her ass….. 😉 Not so easy to get rid of without our intervention!
Judy, I had a Springer Spaniel that was always getting stickers in his butt “feathers”. I mean almost every day. PITA indeed.
Excellent capture Ron. Thanks for sharing this wonderful sequence!
Thank you, Rick.
Oh sure, Mr. Canon R5, you couldn’t just keep driving on by and leave me to be humiliated in peace. You had to document it for the whole world to see. I hope you swallow a midge.
Ha, there were no midges on that part of the island because it’s too far away from the water.
But if it makes you feel any better, Mark – the biting gnats were a pain in the ass. And face. And arms. And hair.
Funny!
🙂
Hilarious story and shot series! And I learned why one often sees bits tangled in the horns. I would have giggled too. In fact I did, just now, almost as if I were there. (And yes, the subjunctive is still alive.)
Glad you enjoyed it, Granny Pat. Thanks.