On the vast prairies of North America, sometimes all you can hear is the rustling of the wind. But beneath these grassy plains lie veritable cities of small rodents. These are black-tailed prairie dogs, which live together in large communities. What do we actually know about these burrowing creatures? Dig deeper into everything about them here.
Cynomys ludovicianus
5 years
± 46 centimetres (including tail)
♀ ±820 grams
♂ ±900 grams
Black-tailed prairie dogs are rodents related to squirrels and marmots. They have light brown fur and a black tip on their tail. With short, strong front legs and long claws, they can easily dig long tunnels. But they are also fast above ground. Prairie dogs can run up to 55 kilometres per hour! This allows them to dash to their burrows when danger looms.
Black-tailed prairie dogs live – as their name suggests – on the prairie. In western North America, they build extensive tunnel and passage systems to shelter from predators. Other animals also benefit from this: burrowing owls, for example, use the empty cavities as nesting sites.
Although they are small themselves, prairie dogs have a major impact on their landscape. By clearing small woody plants, they maintain a good overview of the grasslands.
Black-tailed prairie dogs are mainly herbivores. They feed primarily on grasses, forbs, tubers and emerging shrubs. Thanks to their strong front teeth, they are able to bite through tough and hard plants with ease. Even prickly pear cacti are on the menu! Because these types of plants retain a lot of water, prairie dogs hardly need to drink. In winter, they sometimes eat snow to get extra moisture.
Although the black-tailed prairie dog's diet consists mainly of plants, they also eat insects from time to time.
Black-tailed prairie dogs are very social animals that live in large “colonies” or “towns”. Such a town consists of the tunnel systems of several families that are connected to each other. These tunnels are sometimes 10 to 15 metres long per family and go up to 3 metres deep. The largest collection of tunnels ever found was 35 kilometres from one end to the other!
Family groups often consist of one adult male, several females and their young. They care for and play with each other, but aggression can occur between family groups. Prairie dogs are very territorial and do not let just anyone pass.
When they are about 2 years old, male prairie dogs look for a group of females to join. They form harems, with one male mating with several females over a period of 2 to 3 weeks. Prairie dogs usually reproduce once a year.
After a gestation period of approximately 35 days, the mother gives birth to an average of four prairie dog pups in an underground den. They remain there until about six weeks after birth, when they stop suckling and switch to a diet of plants.
Mothers protect their young fiercely. They have to, because sometimes prairie dogs attack each other's young to increase the chances of survival for their own.
Prairie dogs are popular prey for many predators. From large birds of prey to poisonous snakes, prairie dogs are high on the menu. That is why prairie dogs prefer to stay close to the entrance of their burrows. But even there, they are not always safe.
American badgers and coyotes sometimes work together in the summer to catch prairie dogs. The badgers dig out the tunnels and when the prairie dogs try to flee, the fast coyotes catch them. Fortunately, prairie dogs reproduce fairly quickly, so there are still plenty left.
Over the last century, the habitat of the black-tailed prairie dog has declined by around 36%. This is mainly due to the expansion of agricultural land and human urbanisation. As a result, the size of prairie dog towns has also decreased significantly: from a record 35 kilometres in diameter in 1968 to 2.1 kilometres in 1998. It is likely that this is even smaller today.
In addition, prairie dogs are susceptible to diseases that were brought to the American West by the first settlers and their pets. In the past, prairie dogs were also often persecuted as pests that ate the grass in livestock areas. Fortunately, there are still so many prairie dogs that we do not yet need to worry about the species becoming extinct. Black-tailed prairie dogs have the status “Least Concern”.