Pronking!
Pronking
After one of my Twitter friends said that “Pronking” sounded dirty, I figured I’d better explain what it is. Pronking is a verb that describes the alpacas’ version of skipping. Most of you are familiar with PePe Le Pew doing this when he’s in love. It is like hopping around with all four feet hitting the ground at the same time. There is a kind of “Boing! Boing!” feeling to it. Alpacas do this when they are happy, most often around dusk. Cria (baby alpacas) are most likely to pronk. But it is really heartwarming to see the older (even very pregnant) alpacas pronking in the fields. Truly a joy to behold.
Alpaca pronking pictures above and just below were taken and shared with us by Carolyn Hitchcock of Cameron Mountain Alpacas. Thanks Carolyn!
Above photograph of Raven by Flossie Carmichael of Gentle Grange Alpacas Thanks Flossie!
Above pronking pictures shared with us by Ray Lassiter at Titan Alpacas. Thanks Ray!
Above and below pronking pictures by Carolyn Hitchcock of Cameron Mountain Alpacas.
So, what do you think? Does pronking look like fun or what?
Don’t miss Extreme Pronking!
January 21st, 2009 at 2:54 am
Brilliant! I’d wondered if there was a suitable word for it. I shall be using it a lot from now on.
Couldn’t resist looking it up – turns out that its origin is Afrikaans. The Oxford dictionary says “Of a springbok or other antelope: to leap in the air with an arched back and stiff legs (using all four legs simultaneously in the leap), esp. as a form of display.”
January 21st, 2009 at 5:38 am
Excellent – Perry! Thanks for the definition. Isn’t it a site to behold?
January 21st, 2009 at 7:15 am
I still think it sounds dirty.
You’re lucky you don’t live closer to me because I’d be over at your place constantly and you’d have to beat me away from the babies w/ a stick. Especially while they were pronking.
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January 21st, 2009 at 7:23 am
I love your dirty mind. You never cease to crack me up.
January 21st, 2009 at 7:42 am
Wow, does it ever (look like fun!). My llamas “pronk” also, and like you said mostly at dusk or especially when we let them into a new pasture. Kindof like how you’d feel if you walked into your favorite restaurant and they told you it’s all free today! Thanks for the heartwarming photos. Diana (frolicnfibers at MJF)
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January 21st, 2009 at 7:42 am
Katy,
Very interesting info! I had no idea what it meant until I read this….never even heard of it….it does sound sorta dirty.
Love the pics….they are so cute!!
Have a Wonderful Day!!
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January 21st, 2009 at 7:59 am
This is hilarious! I think “pronk” is going to be my new favorite word!
I have to go now…I have to go PRONK around the house, lol!
Sherri
P. S. I just LOVE the pictures!
January 21st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Great pictures—when I see mine pronk. It just makes me feel as free as they look! My heart is flopping with thier excietment! I don’t think there is a better feeling on this earth, just to watch them pronk.
Carolyn
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:28 am
*squeeeee*!! How adorable!
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January 22nd, 2009 at 4:48 am
Great word and great photos!
Our mini donkeys also have a joyful “heads up” kind of canter, that we often compare with the actions of the great Pepe LePew. The youngest, in particular, will run and buck and kick in a very happy way, especially at the end of the day before going back to the barn for hay. Just as with the alpacas, you cannot watch such a display without a smile on your face and a glad feeling in your heart.
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:34 am
Pronk is also used when referring to showing of, being proud of something.
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:45 am
Sounds like a mispronunciation of the word “prancing” to me.
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:54 am
Is there any video. They look like Lamas dont they. Does it mean the same for other animals like dogs? Coz my dog is sometimes doing the same thing.
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
The cuteness! It burns!!
I LOVE alpacas!
Pronking is so dang cute!!!
January 24th, 2009 at 12:20 am
OMG! I’m in love with the little brown one with the white face! So cute! Reminds me of a baby gazelle I saw on my iPhone. I think the app was called Zooborns. Yes, here it is:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=301653743&mt=8
January 24th, 2009 at 4:59 am
Wow! This is my new favorite word! Thanks for sharing! Those pictures truly made my day, my fiance and I had a grand time looking at them!!!
January 28th, 2009 at 4:41 am
Tat is so weird so
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:54 am
I have two rabbits and they do something similar called binking.
March 11th, 2009 at 3:20 am
Pronking is also the term used for a similar movement that the Springbok (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springbok_Antelope) make.
Given that it does kinda sound like “prancing”, I’d almost hazard a guess that its an Afrikaaner word for prance
May 17th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Great explanation & photos. I will be on the lookout for pronking alpacas next time I am in the high Andes. (I wonder what the word for “pronking” is in Quechua, the language of the native llama and alpaca herders in southern Peru?)
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May 21st, 2009 at 6:48 am
Pronking looks like SO much fun! You are right…I wish I could do it too! Thank you for adding to my vocabulary and teaching us something about alpacas too!
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July 2nd, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Love the Pronking.too cute..
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July 3rd, 2009 at 7:38 am
Pronking I love it. Delightful pics. Think I will incorporate it into my next exercise routine with the kids!
November 29th, 2009 at 7:59 am
I heart alpacas!
Missed this post the first time around, but glad I caught it this time – the pictures are a delight and have really made me smile this morning.
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March 6th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
LOVE pronking! The boys all eat the same square foot of grass and then pronk across the field to the next likely spot and I just die laughing because they find the same square foot after racing all around the field.