Prairie dogs

Prairie dogs, members of the genus Cynomys, belong to the squirrel family of the order Rodentia. There are five species of prairie dogs found on North American plains and plateaus from southern Saskatchewan, Canada to northern Mexico: Utah (C. parridens ), Gunnison's (C. gunnisoni ), white-tailed (C. leucurus ), black-tailed (C. ludovicianus ), and Mexican (C. mexicanus ).

The explorer Meriwether Lewis, explorer of the American West, described prairie dogs as barking squirrels, which "bark at you as you approach them, their note being much like that of little toy dogs." These barking calls, including barks, chirps, and whistles, are used to communicate greetings, social status, and approaching or retreating danger.

Prairie dogs as social animals live in colonies, or "towns," which consist of extensive and complex underground burrows one to five meters deep. Cone-shaped mounds at the entrance of the burrows are used as look-out points; they also prevent water from entering the burrows. The burrows contain several chambers, including one near the entrance where the prairie dogs can listen for aboveground activity, as well as one or more nesting chambers where young prairie dogs sleep and are cared for. Prairie dogs generally prefer to eat grasses and herbs. They also clip vegetation in the vicinity of their colonies to provide clear views of predators. They spend daylight hours above-ground, grooming each other, grazing on grass, tumbling in play, and defending their family territorial boundaries.

More than 200 other wildlife species are associated with prairie dog colonies, resulting in the increased biological diversity seen in prairie lands with colonies. Some of these animals are prairie dog predators, such as hawks, eagles, snakes, and coyotes, while others use the colonies as their habitat . The reduction and/or spread of certain insects and plants is also dependent on prairie dogs.

However, prairie dog populations have been greatly reduced, in some cases to one to two percent of their historical numbers. This decrease in prairie dog populations was, and continues to be, due to poisoning , hunting , and extermination campaigns by some ranchers who believe that prairie dogs compete for livestock forage. Long-term overgrazing by livestock has resulted in loss of grasses that prairie dogs depend on, as well as in erosion and destruction of prairie dog habitat. Additional habitat losses are due to development of lands for human housing and other uses. Prairie dogs are also susceptible to diseases, including the plague , which can wipe out entire colonies.

The IUCN—The World Conservation Union lists the black-tailed and Utah prairie dogs at low risk and the Mexican prairie dog is already endangered. Environmental and citizen's groups are beginning to act to preserve prairie dog habitats throughout the western grassland areas that serve as their home lands.

[Judith L. Sims ]

RESOURCES

BOOKS

Graves, Russell A. The Prairie Dog: Sentinel of the Plains. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2001.

Hoogland, John L. The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog: Social Life of a Burrowing Mammal (Wildlife Behavior and Ecology). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.

Long, Kim. Prairie Dogs: A Wildlife Handbook. Boulder: Johnson Books, 2002.

Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw, and William Munoz. Prairie Dogs. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999.