Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Prairie dogs are not predators but they are very important prey for many grassland predators which is why they are discussed here.
Prairie dogs are actually rodents not dogs. Five speciesof prairie dogs live on the North American continent. In the early 1900s, prairie dogs made homes on between 100 and 250 million acres of prairie, and may have numbered as many as five billion individuals. Of these five species, the black-tailed prairie dog is the most abundant and widely distributed, and is the only species found in the Great Plains region.
Prairie dogs live together in large family units called coteries, generallyconsisting of one adult male, one to four adult females and their young. Several coteries make up densely populated colonies, or towns, that can range in sizefrom a few acres to several thousand acres. Prairie dogs live close together in large towns as a method of survival. At any one time, many pairs of prairie dog eyes are watching the land and sky for predators.
Their front legs and long claws perfectly designed for digging. They excavate burrows that are six- to 14- feet deep, and about 15 feet long, with smalchambers just below the surface where they can sit and listen for above ground activity. Deeper nest chambers provide a haven where they sleep and care for their young. Black-tailed prairie dog towns typically have 30 to 50 burrow entrances per acre.
Prairie dogs change the soil because they dogs are constantly digging. This turns the soil much as tilling aerates the soil in a garden. This churning action promotes soil formation. Soils in prairie dog towns are richer in nitrogen, phosphorous and organic matter than in adjoining grass-lands. Prairie dog activity also increases the soil’s ability to absorb water.
Prairie dogs change the vegetation to better see their predators, prairie dogs need to live where the grasses are short. They also contribute to maintaining open grasslands by clipping back intruding shrubby plants, like sagebrush and mesquite, thereby maintaining the character of some grasslands.
Many species of plants and animals depend on or benefit fromprairie dog towns.
Learn More
Seven Million Americans Tell Forest Service: Time to Revise Grassland Management [PCA Press Release, January 24, 2002]
Black-tailed Prairie Dog Focus Areas [PCA Mapping Project, 2001]
Restoring the Prairie Dog Ecosystem of the Great Plains [PCA Report, 2001]
BLM and Predator Conservation Alliance Clean House for Black-Footed Ferrets [PCA Press Release, September 10, 2001]
Common-sense Prairie Dog Shooting Ban is Legal, Necessary [PCA Opinion Editorial, November 21, 2001]
State Wildlife Agencies Work to Thwart Real Prairie Dog Conservation [Home Range, Winter 2000]
BLM Bites the Bullet [Home Range, Winter 2000]
Warranted but Excluded [Home Range, Spring 2000]
States unwilling to protect prairie dogs [Home Range, Summer 2000]
Citizens Speak up for Grasslands Protection [PCA Press Release, January 18, 2000]
Warranted but Excluded [PCA Press Release, February 3, 2000]
Groups Demand Additional Action for Prairie Dogs [PCA Press Release, February 10, 2000]
What's So Great About Prairie Dogs? [PCA article]
