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They are underground squirrels.There are five different species of them.First,Black-Tailed Prairie dog.Second,Gunnison's Prairie Dogs.Third,Mexican Prairie Dogs.Forth,Utah Prairie Dogs.Finally fifth White-Tailed Prairie Dogs.

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There  skull has 22 teeth

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Prairie dogs are members of the squirrel family and they make there longest towns in North America because they have the biggest plains there and  because they have tall grass.Thousands of prairie dogs can live in one town.There are so many coteries in one town.In there surroundings they eat grass,leaves,and roots.They
do not drink they get all the water they need from the flowers or plants they eat.

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Common Name: Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Cynomys
Species: Cynomys ludovicianus

photo M. Noonan

Prairie dogs are members of the squirrel family that live in complex burrow systems in the plains of North America. Thousands of prairie dogs can live in one "town", with each town covering hundreds of acres of land beneath the earth's surface. Each town is then divided into many coteries, or smaller groups of several females defended by a single male. The towns are located in short-grass prairies, usually avoiding areas with a lot of vegetation or tall grass. They will often even trim the grass surrounding their colony, presumably to increase visibility and aid in protection from predators. When a predator is spotted, prairie dogs use high-pitched barking calls to communicate with one another, warning others of the nearby danger.

Prairie dogs eat grass, leaves and roots surrounding their town. They do not drink because they get all of the water they need from the plants. This is an important adaptation because the prairie can be a very dry place.

While in the Midwest, we came across many prairie dog towns. It was fascinating to hear these ground squirrels announce our presence as we approached each town. The individuals that were above ground would hop up and down making chirping and barking sounds, and then would quickly scurry into their burrows.

While hiking in Badlands National Park, we attempted to get some photographs of prairie dogs by sitting quietly outside the burrows waiting with cameras on hand. The members of this colony were not cooperating though, and after sitting patiently outside of the burrows for nearly an hour, we decided that this colony was not the best opportunity for photographs and began to move on. Later in the trip, we came across another large colony alongside a road. This colony was very accustomed to people stopping and watching them, and so we were able to get some great pictures!

Conservation of prairie dogs is of great importance to the prairie ecosystem. These animals were largely exterminated by farmers who killed the prairie dogs because they worried their cattle would break legs by stepping in the burrows. In reality, however, there are no known cases of any cattle ever being injured by a prairie dog burrow. Hunting prairie dogs for sport and for pest-control has persisted right up to modern times. If such hunting continues, the populations will continue to drop disastrous consequences will ensue for the ecosystem of the Great Plains.

Prairie dogs are considered a "keystone species" for the prairies. This means that they are a species whose existence adds to a diversity of life. If this keystone species becomes extinct, it would mean the extinction of many other forms of life as well. Over 200 other species have been observed living on or near prairie dog colonies. These colonies contribute to the ecosystem by providing burrows for other animals such as burrowing owls, black-footed ferrets, and snakes; providing a food source for such species as badgers, black-footed ferrets, coyotes, and many birds of prey; and their burrowing churns the soil to enable the earth to better sustain plant life. Without prairie dogs present, many aspects of the prairie life would change or disappear.

The prairie dog is one of the most important species in the American prairie. Its numbers used to be so great that Lewis and Clark on their journey up the Missouri River noted that the animal "appears in infinite numbers". Now due to the intrusion of man, this wonderful creature's populations have been dramatically reduced. We must save this animal not only because we are responsible for its demise, but also because western ecosystems depend on the prairie dog.
Prairie Dog Taxonomy/Description
Prairie dogs belong to the squirrel family, Sciuridae, which includes squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots, in the Mammalian Order Rodentia. Their scientific name is Cynomys ludovicianus, which means "dog mouse of Louisiana".

The Black-tailed prairie dog is 12 to 15 inches in length and weighs between 2 and 4 pounds. Its tail (which is black at the tip) measures 3 to 4 inches long. Black-tailed prairie dogs have short, muscular front legs and long claws that are used for burrowing. A prairie dog's eyes are located high on its head and are able to focus on overhead objects exceptionally well.
Prairie Dog Habitat/Diet
Black-tailed prairie dogs are native to the plains of western North America - particularly the short grass prairie. They live in small underground tunnels that make up a system of burrows accessed by mounds or holes. Prairie dog mounds have several functions. They prevent flooding; they facilitate ventilation and they serve as lookout posts. Prairie dogs are found in many national parks in the American West.

Black-tailed prairie dogs eat about 2 pounds of food per week. Seventy to ninety-five percent of a black-tailed prairie dog's diet is composed of the grasses of the short grass prairie. They also eat seeds, insects, roots and forbs. Black-tailed prairie dogs have favorite foods. In a given area, they eat all of their favorite food first and then move on to their other options.
Prairie Dog Behavior/Reproduction
Black-tailed prairie dogs are diurnal, which means that they are active during the day. They are gregarious (social), and live in densely populated groupings, called towns. These towns can be found across the Great Plains and can be up to 10,000 feet in diameter! Often the towns are subdivided into wards by physical barriers such as roads and trees. Within each town, prairie dogs live in family units called coteries - each coterie consists of 1 adult male, one to four adult females and their offspring under 2 years old. Most of a prairie dog's travels are confined to its coterie territory.

Black-tailed prairie dogs communicate with one another using 11 distinct calls. Examples include a bark (indicating alarm), a chittering noise (used by a female in response to a male's advances), a rasping noise (indicating attack), a high pitched scream (when distressed), and a constant chattering (indicating frustration).

Black-tailed prairie dogs often stand upright atop mounds in order to see as far as possible. They also like to keep the height of the vegetation low around their mounds to improve visibility. When a predator approaches, prairie dogs scurry into their underground burrows. If a predator follows a prairie dog into its burrow, the prairie dogs respond by rapidly plugging up their tunnels with dirt. This traps the predator, at least temporarily. By the time the predator digs its way out, the prairie dog has had the opportunity to move out of danger.

Black-tailed prairie dogs maintain unity by "kissing". When two prairie dogs meet, they touch their front teeth. This activity is used to distinguish a coterie member from a stranger. The bared teeth of a kiss tend to scare away strangers. However, prairie dogs are very territorial, and will fight invaders in a reverse kissing encounter called a tail-spread dispute. The dispute involves posturing and some physical contact and culminates in there-establishment of a boundary.

There are two ways that prairie dogs control population density. Prairie dog males disperse before the first breeding season of their lives. They travel either to neighboring coteries or to a new site. Many do not survive this trip. A second way that prairie dogs control population density is via rampant underground cannibalism that occurs following the birth of pups in the spring!

Black-tailed prairie dogs are sexually mature at 2 years of age. They breed only once per year. The breeding season begins in March and lasts 2 to 3 weeks. The gestation period of a black-tailed prairie dog is 34 to 35 days. A typical liter contains 1 to 6 pups. Prairie dog young are altricial - born weak, hairless and blind. They develop for several weeks underground before leaving their burrows.
Prairie Dog Obligates
The activities of the prairie dog influence the capacity of the environment to support other animals. A vast array of insects, birds, reptiles and mammals use prairie dog burrows for nests. We studied these creatures while we were in South Dakota. They included the rattlesnake and coyote as depicted here, and the Burrowing Owl and Black-footed Ferret. Follow the links at left side of the screen to learn more about these fascinating animals.
Prairie Dog History
Due to their bark-like warning call, early French Canadian settlers in the United States named the black tailed prairie dog petits chiens, which means "little dogs". However, not everyone thinks these little dogs are cute. Currently prairie dogs populations are experiencing serious decline. Unfortunately, they are considered pests by ranchers and are often poisoned or shot. Some people argue that they reduce the forage available for livestock. Since 1900, the population of prairie dogs has been reduced by 98%! Two prairie dog species (out of five) are now threatened or endangered.
Our Experiences with Prairie Dogs
While in South Dakota, all of the CAC members enjoyed watching the antics of prairie dogs. On grazing land across from Buffalo Gap National Grassland, we were able to observe a black tailed prairie dog town. The prairie dogs saw us approach, gave a warning call and proceeded to head underground. These prairie dogs were very wary of our presence, and kept a considerable distance. Later, we visited a black tailed prairie dog community in Badlands National Park that was located near a main road. These prairie dogs were very habituated to the presence of people and we were able to get some great pictures and make close observations of the animals' behavior - especially their vocalizations and feeding.
Prairie Dog Conservation
Sadly, prairie dogs have a history of being methodically exterminated by humans. Long extermination campaigns were so successful that three decades ago naturalists predicted the prairie dogs' imminent extinction. Biologists now estimate that the prairie dogs have undergone a 98 percent population decline during the 20th century! Of the 5 billion prairie dogs that once existed in the American mid-west, only about 100 million remain today. Prairie dogs exist on only 2 percent of their historical home range. Loss of habitat due to conversion of prairie for agricultural purposes has had a significant impact on the prairie dog population. Short grass prairie is the land type most frequently converted to cropland, due to its relatively flat topography.

In several of the states in which prairie dogs live, they are considered a legal agricultural pest. Livestock owners feel that prairie dogs compete with livestock for food, as they are both grazers. However, studies indicate that while prairie dogs decrease the volume of grass in pastures by 4 to 8 percent, their grazing pattern actually increase the productivity, species diversity and protein content of the grass in their towns. Studies also show that prairie dog grazing does not effect cattle weight gain. Ranchers also fear that livestock will step in prairie dog holes and break their legs. Some states even mandate the killing of a certain number of prairie dogs each year as an attempt to manage the population. In addition to being shot in management efforts, prairie dogs are often hunted for recreation. Prairie dogs are highly susceptible to disease, specifically sylvatic plague and yerinia pestis. Outbreaks of these diseases have been known to wipe out entire prairie dog towns. Of the five species of prairie dog, the Utah and Mexican species are listed as threatened and endangered respectively.

Since numerous species of animals inhabit prairie dog towns and depend upon the prairie dog for survival, the decrease of the prairie dog population has precipitated a decrease in the populations of several other species, most notably the black-footed ferret. The black-footed ferret is the most endangered mammal in North America, and efforts are being made to reestablish communities in the wild. It is illegal to hunt prairie dogs in the area immediately surrounding black footed ferret reintroduction sites.

Glossary:

Rodentia - Mammalian Order, which means "gnawers", consisting of all mammals called 'rodents', including mice, rats, guinea pigs, squirrels, cavies, and marmots.

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Common Name: Black-tailed Prairie Dog Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Family: Sciuridae Genus: Cynomys Species: Cynomys ludovicianus photo M. Noonan Prairie dogs are members of the squirrel family that live in complex burrow systems in the plains of North America. Thousands of prairie dogs can live in one "town", with each town covering hundreds of acres of land beneath the earth's surface.

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Prairie dogs are rodents slightly eating fat tunnels can lead down steeply slanting corridor 15 or 16 feet.

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Prairie sogs are the most social members of the aquirrel family and are closely related to ground squirrels, chipmunks and marmots.

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Matting sessen is March.
And they eat ground squilres

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Black tailed prairie dogs only stand 30 cm [12 in] high and weigh 1 kg [1-3 lb]

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Prairie dogs are very intelligent social animals. They can be affectionate but they can also bite. They tolorate strangers very well but they will even bite their caretaker.Prairie dogs can be territoriol which means they will prtect their home from strangers. Male prairie dogs tend to be more aggresive than females. This is most likley due to the males role as protector of the town and the cotorie in the wild

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Solution to Prairie Dog Plague by Mrs. Lipps

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Solution to Prairie Dog Plague by Mrs. Lipps

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A sylvatic plague is effecting prairie dog colonies. The black-footed ferret is a predator of prairie dogs. In order to save the ferrets, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to administer an oral sylvatic plague vaccine to the prairie dogs on Charles M. Russell and UL Bend National Wildlife Refuges in northeast Montana. After testing the vaccine, it has shown to be able to reduce the effects of the plague. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now wants to administer the vaccine on a larger scale. One option is to put the vaccine in peanut butter flavored baits at 50 doses per acre. Another option is to use a drone to apply the vaccines. The public has been asked to weigh in.

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One of the country's most endangered mammals stands to benefit from two proposed actions announced this week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The Service has conducted Environmental Assessments (EA) for these actions and is seeking public comment for both activities.

As part of its ongoing efforts to conserve the rare black-footed ferret, the Service is proposing to administer an oral sylvatic plague vaccine for the species' primary prey: prairie dogs. The vaccine would be applied at Charles M. Russell and UL Bend National Wildlife Refuges in northeastern Montana.

Prairie dogs are susceptible to sylvatic plague, which can kill virtually all the prairie dogs on entire colonies of the ground-dwelling animals. Black-footed ferrets rely almost exclusively on prairie dogs as a source of food and shelter, so efforts to maintain and grow prairie dog colonies would benefit establishing and growing ferret populations.

For several years, the Service has partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey and National Wildlife Health Center to evaluate the effectiveness of these vaccinations. Results from that work indicate that the vaccine helps mitigate the effects of plague. Now that the initial safety and research phases have proven successful, the Service is proposing to apply the vaccine at larger management scales.

The first EA available for public comment considers depositing single, vaccine-laden, peanut-butter flavored baits uniformly across prairie dog colonies on at Charles M. Russell and UL Bend National Wildlife Refuges at a rate of 50 doses per acre.

The second EA evaluates the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to apply the vaccine on the same refuges and dosages.

The announcement opens a 30 day comment period for both EAs, which ends on May 13, 2016.
Related:

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Plague vaccine from the sky: Government officials propose using drones to vaccinate prairie dogs - Outbreak News Today

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One of the country's most endangered mammals stands to benefit from two proposed actions announced this week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The Service has conducted Environmental Assessments (EA) for these actions and is seeking public comment for both activities. As part of its ongoing efforts to conserve the rare black-footed ferret, the ...

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Prairie dogs are huge rodents that live in underground tunnels called underground towns.Towns have tons of prairie dog residents and go for miles of directions.They split into coteries called groups.Each coterie territory has 70 different  entrances.The dirt piles provide protection from the weather.They lift the baby prairie dogs up so they can see their predators.They make their towns in North America.

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For many years, starting in the 1920s, the San Diego Zoo had its own Prairie Dog Town exhibit. It was a large pit with a concrete bottom and walls, filled with dirt for the "dogs" to create their many burrows.

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Animal Fact Guide: Prairie Dogs By Chance

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Animal Fact Guide: Prairie Dogs By Chance

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Prairie dogs are having a problem because there burrows are getting esley spotted by preteders because of the loose dirt and how high it is so preteders can eat the prairie dogs. Prairie dogs if they look out of the hole when an enemy  was there it still could be there and it could eat the prairie dog. If you want to help  then contact government offlists at deffenders of wildlife and @abicushman.

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Although they stand at only 30 cm (12 in.) high and weigh about 1 kg (1-3 lb.), black-tailed prairie dogs make a substantial impact on the ecosystem of the North American plains.

Prairie dogs reside in complex burrow systems. Entrances are easily spotted by the raised mounds of loose soil. These mounds allow a higher vantage point for sentries, or lookouts, to spot predators.

Small close-knit families called coteries compose the base of prairie dog social structure. Coteries consist of an adult male, one or more adult females, and their young offspring. Groups of neighboring coteries form a prairie dog colony.

Prairie dogs mate in March, and give birth to three or four pups in April or May. For 1-2 months, the mother will nurse and care for the pups underground. Once they emerge, the pups are nursed communally by other group members.

Not only do prairie dogs rely heavily on a social network for raising young, they also use it to escape from predators. When a predator is near, communication among the colony is vital. Using a repetitive series of warning barks, prairie dogs can provide detailed descriptions of a predator by varying the frequency and pitch of their barks. For example, prairie dogs can communicate not just that the predator is a human, but also whether the human is short, fat, skinny, or tall.

Their barks also indicate the location of the predator. All members of the colony remain outside the burrow to keep an eye on the threat. If they were to all retreat into the burrow, the predator would simply attack when a prairie dog poked its head of out the entrance to check if the coast was clear. In this way, their system of warning barks has proven to be most successful.

Prairie dogs also perform jump-yip calls, in which they stand on the mound, throw their head back, and let out a high-pitched bark, sometimes evening toppling onto their backs due to the exertion.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are a keystone species; they play an integral role in promoting animal and plant diversity in the Great Plains. Without them, life on the plains would be vastly different.

Feeding on grasses, sedges, forbs (broad-leafed vegetation), roots, and seeds, prairie dogs keep vegetation short, fast-growing, and full of nutrition. Their digging action churns up soil like a plow, allowing for more fertile plant life. This in turn draws other wildlife like pronghorns, bison, and rabbits to the area to graze.

Prairie dog colonies also make suitable habitats for other animals. Their burrows sometimes become homes for rabbits, salamanders, snakes, and burrowing owls. In addition, mountain plovers prefer the areas of clipped grass for nesting.

Finally, prairie dogs provide an ample food source for golden eagles, hawks, swift foxes, coyotes, badgers, and endangered black-footed ferrets.

Conservation Status

Although they once numbered in the hundreds of millions, prairie dog populations are now estimated at around 10-20 million. Their numbers have decreased as a result of habitat destruction due to development and agriculture. Additionally, many farmers poison or shoot prairie dogs because they believe the animals interfere with cattle grazing. Finally, prairie dog populations have been largely affected by the sylvatic plague.

In 2000, the US Fish and Wildlife Service added the black-tailed prairie dog as a threatened species candidate for the Endangered Species Act. After further investigation, they determined that prairie dogs were not likely to become endangered in the near future and removed them as candidates in 2004. The IUCN Red List classifies the black-tailed prairie dog as a species of least concern of becoming extinct due to the slow rate of their population decline.

What You Can Do to Help

If you would like to help the black-tailed prairie dog, there are several things you can do. You can contact government officials at the local, state, and federal levels advocating further protection for black-tailed prairie dogs. You can also make donations to charities trying to save the Great Plains and its wildlife like Defenders of Wildlife, American Prairie Foundation, or Southern Plains Land Trust.

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Distribution

Prairie Dog Resources

Blog Posts about the Black-tailed Prairie Dog

About the Author

Abi Cushman is a lifelong animal lover and the editor-in-chief of Animal Fact Guide. She not only writes and edits articles, she also creates animal illustrations for the site.

Follow her on Twitter:@abicushman and Instagram: @abi.cushman

Last updated on August 24, 2014.

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Black-tailed Prairie Dog Facts | North American Animals

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Although they stand at only 30 cm (12 in.) high and weigh about 1 kg (1-3 lb.), black-tailed prairie dogs make a substantial impact on the ecosystem of the North American plains. Prairie dogs reside in complex burrow systems. Entrances are easily spotted by the raised mounds of loose soil.

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They are burrowing rodents that live in colenies the poppelashen is with the black tailed prairie dog they live in nabore hoods.

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Prairie dogs are considered a "keystone" species because their colonies create islands of habitat that benefit approximately 150 other species.

They are also a food source for many animals, including mountain plover, burrowing owl, Ferruginous hawks, swift fox and endangered black-footed ferrets. Many species, like black-footed ferrets, use their burrows as homes. Prairie dogs even help aerate and fertilize the soil, allowing a greater diversity of plants to thrive. But the widespread destruction of prairie dog colonies and the arrival of the exotic disease plague in the 1900s reduced prairie dogs by more than 95 percent.

Poisoning prairie dogs can be bad for the environment with impacts to native grassland birds, it is expensive, and rarely offers a long-term solution to conflicts with livestock operations. Defenders is working with national grasslands on nonlethal alternatives to poisoning.

Because prairie dogs hesitate to make homes in or go through tall grass, creating tall-grass buffers between prairie dog colonies and adjacent private properties is one way to keep prairie dogs out of where they are not wanted without resorting to killing them. Growing tall grass is difficult in areas frequented by grazing livestock, so Defenders has purchased and installed several miles of solar-powered portable electric fencing along buffer areas to keep livestock out, allowing the grass to grow tall.

Defenders also promotes relocation rather than poisoning of prairie dogs from conflict areas to core areas that are fully protected. We have helped move hundreds of prairie dogs out of harm's way and we hand-dig starter burrows to promote new colonies.

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Prairie dogs are considered a "keystone" species because their colonies create islands of habitat that benefit approximately 150 other species. They are also a food source for many animals, including mountain plover, burrowing owl, Ferruginous hawks, swift fox and endangered black-footed ferrets. Many species, like black-footed ferrets, use their burrows as homes.