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Habitats and Adaptations: Black-tailed prairie dogs are
a very social animal. They live in family groups called coteries
and have evolved a complex communications system. They dig more
elaborate burrows than any other rodent. They are extremely gregarious
and spend hours grooming each other. These grooming behaviors
may include neck and nose rubbing, "kissing" and playing,
especially the young prairie dogs. At times they resemble a litter
of puppies.
Diet: Prairie dogs are primarily herbivores, eating short
grasses, broadleafed herbs, and if necessary, cactus and the roots
of grasses. They occasionally eat seeds and insects.
Breeding and Maturation: Breeding takes place in February
and March. After a gestation period of 30 days as many as 10 but
usually 3 to 5 young are born blind and hairless. The young open
their eyes at about 5 weeks and emerge from the burrow at around
6 weeks. They normally stay with the family unit until 2 years
of age when they begin to wander off and form their own coteries.
Miscellaneous: The Prairie dog's job in the prairie system
was to keep it fertile and growing. They did this with their extensive
burrow system which always insured a fresh supply of "new"
soil coming to the surface. They also kept the soil aerated.
They can survive long periods without drinking water as they
are able to manufacture it from their food.
The "kissing" behavior is used to recognize family
members. When two prairie dogs meet they touch mouths, with their
mouths open and teeth bared. If not family members they lie on
their bellies, wag tails and slowly creep towards each other until
the "intruder" is driven off or leaves the area.
Loss of prairie habitat to agriculture and other human encroachment
has caused a drastic decline in the numbers of prairie dogs. This
population decline has had a devastating effect on the North American
Black-Footed Ferret that prey almost totally on prairie dogs and
live in their abandoned burrows. Unable to adapt to a different
life-style, the Black-Footed Ferret has become North America's
most endangered mammal.
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