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Prairie Dogs
A type of ground squirrel, a prairie dog is a burrowing rodent native to North American grasslands. There are five different prairie dog species: white-tailed, black-tailed, Utah, Gunnison’s and Mexican prairie dogs. They have stout bodies, short tail and brown fur.
319 Questions
Do prairie dogs bark like other dogs?
Prairie dogs make a noise very like a bark. That is why they are called 'dogs'. In fact they are a type of ground squirrel and not related at all closely to dogs.
I doubt it, but might happen. Depends on the size of the mouse and the prairie dog.
What effect might a hard rainstorm have on a prairie dogs tunnel?
the tunnle will fludded and the can die
Does Europe have groundhogs or prairie dogs?
I saw some squirrel type animal in a European campsite once that were very tame. The village name was connected to this native animal- does anyone know where I might have been because I cannot remember where I was at all! I'm going back 15/20 years and now I'd like to take my daughter.
What do prairie dogs look like?
Go to Google images and type in prairie dogs, then you can see a picture of them.
Prairie dogs look like a ground squirrel.
Gophers.
What type of relationship do ferrets and prairie dogs have?
Domestic ferrets have no relationship with prairie dogs.
Black footed ferrets are predators of prairie dogs, which is their main food source. The black footed ferrets uses the prairie dog burrows to live in.
How many prairie dog babies usu ally live to adulthood?
female prairie dogs live to 8 years and male prairie dogs live up to 7 years. In captivity it is much longer
I guess You can say that, but when they sniff the behinds its usually a form of hello. I hope that helped. :/
1. Where they live
At one time there were millions of prairie dogs living on the plains and grasslands. These ground squirrels lived in towns made up of underground tunnels or burrows.
Today, Black-tailed prairie dogs are found in one river valley in southern Saskatchewan (the Val Marie area ) and on grasslands throughout most of western United States to New Mexico.
2. A prairie dog home
Prairie dog towns may contain hundreds of prairie dogs. These towns are divided into wards, then into neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood is made up of family members - babies, brothers and sisters, females and one or two males.
three prairie dogs
© 2000 John WhiteTheir underground tunnels connect to rooms. There are nurseries, bedrooms lined with dried grass, bathrooms and a listening room which is close to the entrance. Here the prairie dog listens for danger before going outside.
a tunnelThe entrance to the prairie dog's burrow is surrounded by a pile of soil. This mound serves as a lookout and protects the burrow against floods.
The tunnels go down about three metres ( or ten feet ) and can be 15 metres ( 50 feet) from one entrance to another.
a room underground
3. Appearance
These ground squirrels have brownish fur and white underparts. They have large eyes, short tails ( white or black tipped ) and small rounded ears. They are rodents. They have strong front teeth and sharp claws for digging. The prairie dog is about the size of a football (30 cm.).
a chubby prairie dog
© 2000 John White4. The Young
Baby prairie dogs are born with no hair. Once a year the female has litter of four pups. Pups stay in the burrows for about six or seven weeks.
Sherry Ballard © 2001 California Academy of Sciences
larger image
5. Adaptations
- The front paws have long claws for digging tunnels.
- They eat alot to store up fat for winter.
- They sleep in the winter.
- Prairie dogs do not need to drink water. They can get all of the water needed from the leafy foods they eat.
Many predators hunt these rodents including badgers, weasels, ferrets, hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, bobcats and snakes.
an enemyBadgers try to catch prairie dogs in the daytime by rushing into a colony. At night, they dig into the entrance hoping to surprise the sleeping prairie dogs.
Diseases (from infected flea bites) have wiped out entire colonies.
Man has hunted and poisoned them.
7. Why some people hate the prairie dogs
Over the past 100 years much of the range of the black-tailed prairie dog has become cattle pastures and grain fields. Prairie dog poisoning programs are one way that people get rid of them. Why ? Farmers and ranchers do not see the prairie dog as a cute little animal. Prairie dogs eat the grasses that cattle and horses eat. Since they eat alot of grass this leaves less food for other animals. Prairie dogs can also destroy a farmer's crop of alfalfa, hay, wheat or corn.
8. Protection
Guard dogs keep watch by standing on a mound of dirt. They let out a warning yelp or bark .more about how they escape from their enemies
9. Food
Prairie dogs feed on leaves, grasses and grass roots, weeds, seeds and other plants (including crops like alfalfa and corn). They also eat grasshoppers, cutworms, bug and beetles.
10. Endangered animals
Some species of prairie dogs are endangered or threatened. The black-footed ferret, Burrowing Owl, and Prairie Rattlesnake are endangered because they rely on the prairie dog for food and shelter.
11. Interesting facts
The prairie dogs got their name from the sound that they make when danger is near. They give warning barks or yips.
There are five species of prairie dogs.
- Black-tailed Prairie Dog
- White-tailed Prairie Dog
- Gunnison's Prairie Dog
- Mexican Prairie Dog ( endangered )
- Utah Prairie Dog ( threatened )
Besides serving as food for many predators, their tunnels provide homes for burrowing owls, rabbits and hares, ground squirrels, mice, snakes and black-footed ferrets.
Prairie dogs are most active during the cool hours of daylight. Most of their time is spent eating . They also like to visit and groom each other.
Prairie dogs communicate with each other.how they talk to each other
In some states in the US shooting prairie dogs is a sport. Thousands of these animals are killed by hunting and trapping.
Black-tailed prairie dogs are sold in pet shops. Pet prairie dogs can live 8 to 10 years ( compared to 3 to 5 years in the wild. )
When did Lewis and Clark find the prairie dog?
The prairie dog was first encountered by the Lewis and Clark expedition on September 7, 1804, in present-day Boyd County, Nebraska. When alarmed they emit a bark somewhat similar to what Lewis called "that of the little toy dogs." Clark described the animal as a "ground rat", a burrowing squirrel, and he noted that although his men dug six feet into a burrow trying to catch one, they realized they hadn't even gotten "half way to his Lodges" so they spent the better part of the day attempting to drown them out: "we por'd into one of the holes 5 barrels of water without filling it" and eventually succeeded in capturing a live prairie dog. It was sent to Washington D.C. along with other specimens to Jefferson.
Yes. They eat animals like scorpions and plants like any berries they could possibly find.
-Peace Out!
What body parts do prairie dogs use?
depends on what they are trying to do but if i had to guess i would say their knees
What is being done to prevent the Utah prairie dog from becoming extinct?
people are keeping more careful not to hurt the prairie dogs
Do prairie dogs live in a group?
prairie dogs live together to survive
to stay close incase a predator comes( like foxes, wolves, and and lions).
