This site is no longer maintained and has been left for archival purposes
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There are five species of prairie dogs (genus Cynomys) in the USA. They are found mainly in the grassland prairies over much of western USA and extending into Canada and Mexico, but their range includes the higher elevations of the Mojave, Great Basin and Chihuahuan Deserts.
Prairie dogs are rodents, closely related to squirrels. They are highly social animals that form large family groups which produce extensive systems of underground burrows that can extend over several hectares. These prairie dog "towns" can have many thousands of individuals. Prairie dogs are vegetarians, active by day, but they rapidly retreat into the burrows when alarmed, using a sophisticated vocal signalling system to warn other members of the group. Prairie dogs were once extremely common, but their burrowing activities and their feeding on grassland vegetation can make them a nuisance in ranchlands (perhaps consuming as much as 7% of the vegetation), so they have been systematically exterminated in many areas and their population is now only about 2% of their former level. Prarie dog colonies can harbour bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis), transmitted by fleas, and they are very susceptible to this disease, which can periodically wipe out a whole colony. This natural reservoir of infection raises public health concerns, even though infection in humans is now easily treated with antibiotics - unlike the "black death" of the 1300s. Links to other sites on prairie dogs,
including conservation (not on this server): |
This site is no longer maintained and has been left for archival purposes
Text and links may be out of date