They were given their name because they bark like dogs, but prairie dogs are actually rodents. They are members of the squirrel family and are very sociable animals, preferring to live in large underground colonies. Of the five species, or kinds, of prairie dogs, the two that are best known are the black-tailed prairie dog and the white-tailed prairie dog.

Where prairie dogs live

Prairie dogs live on the short-grass prairies of western North America. Their territory stretches southward from Montana and North Dakota to Texas and northern Mexico. Before Europeans moved into these regions, prairie dogs were very common. Some of their colonies consisted of millions of animals. Now prairie dogs occupy only about 2 percent of their original territory. The white-tailed prairie dog is less common than the black-tailed prairie dog and lives on higher ground.

Physical features

Prairie dogs show their family resemblance to the squirrels mostly around the head. Their bodies are plump, and their legs are short. The claws are long and powerful. Black-tailed prairie dogs range in length from 12 to17 inches (30 to 43 centimeters), including the short tail. They weigh between 25 and 50 ounces (700 and 1400 grams). Most prairie dogs have yellowish brown fur. The underside of the body is lighter in color. The black-tailed prairie dog's tail is black only at the tip.

Behavior

Prairie dogs live in large colonies in which groups of families live together in underground burrows. In the past, some of these colonies and their burrows covered many square miles of land. The colonies are divided into sections, and the territory of an individual family is called a coterie. A prairie dog family usually consists of an adult male, several adult females, and their young.

Prairie dogs may dig their burrows as deep as 16 feet (5 meters) below the surface. Underground nest chambers are linked by long tunnels. Burrow entrances are built up into cone-shaped mounds that are used as platforms for looking out over the surrounding grassland. The first prairie dog to spot a predator will warn the others with a barking calls.

Prairie dogs are active in the daytime, eating grass and nuzzling and grooming their prairie dog neighbors. During winter, three of the species, including the white-tailed prairie dog, fall into the deep sleep of hibernation.

Life cycle

In the spring, about a month after mating, the female prairie dog gives birth to a litter of up to 10 young. The young are not fully mature until two years later. Then the young males are driven away from home and move to new territories. Young females usually stay within the coterie where they were born. Captive prairie dogs have lived for more than eight years.

Differing views of prairie dogs

If there were no prairie dogs eating grass, there would be more grass available to feed herds of cattle. For this reason prairie dogs have been declared a pest in many places. In these regions they are poisoned or shot in large numbers. People also worry that their horses will step into prairie dog holes and break a leg. Prairie dogs can play a part in spreading a deadly disease called plague to humans.

Despite these problems, some people consider prairie dogs to be the key animal in the prairie ecosystem. They say that many other animals depend on the prairie dog. If the animal was to disappear, therefore, many others would be affected by the loss. Foxes, coyotes, badgers, and hawks are among the predators that eat the plump little animals. Burrowing owls, rabbits, and snakes reuse prairie dog holes for their own shelter. Black-footed ferrets depend on prairie dogs for both food and housing.