* Threatened or Endangered
Prairie Dog *
: Cynomys ludovicianus
: Mammal
: Throughout most of the western United States from Canada to Mexico -- Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming -- including higher elevations of the Mojave, Great Basin and Chihuahuan deserts.
: Grasses, roots, weeds, blossoms and sometimes insects.
: Weight 1 ½ to 3 pounds
: Once very common they have disappeared in many areas. Prairie Dogs only inhabit about 2% of the range that they once did.
• Once very common, they have disappeared in many areas. Prairie Dogs only inhabit about 2% of the range that they once did.
• Also called “barking squirrels,” their genus name cynomys means “mouse dog.”
• One of the largest prairie dog towns was in Texas where a town was reportedly 100 miles wide and 250 miles long, with an estimated 400 million animals.
• Lewis and Clark were fascinated with these small rodents and spent many hours attempting to dig one out of its burrow.
• Prairie dogs have a variety of vocalizations which warn other members of the town about impending danger.