THE ANIMAL FILES

Black-tailed prairie dog

Cynomys ludovicianus

A grassland neighbourhood has rooms below and lookouts above.

Black-tailed prairie dogs live in colonies structured into smaller social groups. Burrows provide breeding and resting spaces, while short vegetation around the entrances helps animals detect approaching predators.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Black-tailed prairie dog
Image: LeonardoWeiss · Commons · CC BY 3.0
Activity
Mainly by day[1]
Shelter
Underground burrows with grass nests[1]
Food
Grasses and other vegetation[1]

A mound is part of a burrow

Entrances can have broad domes, raised rims or little surrounding structure. Burrows shelter young and provide escape routes; excavated mounds also create exposed positions from which animals can watch their surroundings.[1]

Neighbours are not all equivalent

A colony contains territorial family-sized groups called coteries. Members are generally friendly within their group and less welcoming to outsiders. The colony’s many animals therefore do not form one undifferentiated social unit.[1]

Plants supply food and moisture

Plant choice changes with season and condition, including grasses, leafy herbs, shrubs and roots. Much water comes from food. During winter these prairie dogs may still forage above ground, using shorter torpor bouts rather than remaining continuously dormant.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Does the whole colony behave like one family?

No. Smaller territorial groups structure relationships inside the larger colony.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why does vegetation height affect more than the menu?

Reveal the explanation

It changes the view around burrows, affecting detection of predators and communication between animals.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Black-tailed prairie dog (fixed revision; adapted and translated)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Cynomys ludovicianus (identity and classification)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

GroundhogA groundhog’s winter is an active physiological change, not just a long nap.Marmota monax ↗Eastern chipmunkCheek pouches carry provisions, not proof of a secret earth-moving scheme.Tamias striatus ↗Eastern gray squirrelA squirrel can use landmarks as well as smell to retrieve a buried nut.Sciurus carolinensis ↗