Pronk (gait)

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The pronk is a gait of quadrupeds where the creature "jumps" with all four legs at once. It is rarely observed, usually when the animal is excited. Young deer, amongst others, exemplify this behaviour.

According to [1], "The traditional explanation for pronking is that it shows predators they are too fast to bother chasing. Springbok pronk only to Wild Dogs; but run for their lives when they see a cheetah. Adults don’t pronk, only juveniles and subadults do. Pronking could be a shorthand of the appeasement gesture of exposing their butts, or just a sign of excitement because they do it as a herd comes to water. Perhaps adults don’t pronk probably because they are confident of their surroundings. Pronking seems more frequent after a rain, perhaps to rebroadcast the herds’ scents."

[edit] External links

• Llamapedia on pronking
• "Leg Thrust Control for Stabilization of Dynamic Gaits in a Quadruped Robot," includes references to pronking
• image of a springbok mid-pronk