The Ghosts of the Rockies

A HERD OF PRONGHORN mingling with beef cattle today in Colorado. Pronghorn Antelope are the fastest animal in North America, and can hit speeds of 45-55 mph.  

That kind of speed, of course, presupposes a predator capable of running that fast.  

But where is that predator?

Gone for thousands of years, but not forgotten: the North American Cheetah, or Miracinonyx, which disappeared about 16,000 years ago — a blink of an eye in evolutionary terms.

There are ghosts all around us if you know what questions to ask, and where to look.  

Every Pronghorn has the ghost of a Miracinonyx following it. It is invisible, but only just out of sight.