Species Spotlight - Prairie Dog

The prairie dog is native to the Great Plains and Southwestern desert grasslands of the United States.  

They are considered a keystone species, an organism that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance, playing a vital role in maintaining the structure and biodiversity of an ecosystem. Its removal can trigger a cascade of negative events, leading to significant changes in the ecosystem's composition and potentially causing its collapse.  

There are five species of prairie dog in North America: the black-tailed (Cynomys ludovicianus), white-tailed (Cynomys leucurus), Mexican (Cynomys mexicanus), Gunnison’s (Cynomys gunnisoni) and Utah (Cynomys parvidens).  Cynomys means “dog-mouse” which characterizes this group of rodents with the dog-like bark.  The black-tailed prairie dog is the most prevalent of the five species. 


They are stout bodied rodents; 12-16 inches long including short tail and weighing 1-3 pounds.  They are highly social animals and live in burrows.  Their extensive burrow system aerate the soil and provide shelter for may other species in the grassland ecosystem.  A typical prairie dog town may contain 15-25 family groups.  


Common predators of prairie dogs include badgers, black-footed ferret, snakes and Ferruginous hawks.  They are also susceptible to diseases like the plague.  


Their diet primarily consists of grasses, forbes and sedges.  In preparation for colder weather, they will also eat seeds and insects that are higher in fat and protein.


As with most wildlife their main threat is habitat loss from climate change and human destruction.