Prairie Dog Tails: Part 2

In my last article, I introduced these little rodents called Prairie Dogs and provided some information about two of the three species that live in Colorado, White-tailed Praired Dogs and Gunnison's Prairie Dogs (see Prairie Dog Tails: Part 1). Now, I want to tell you about the species that once inhabited the Great Plains in immense colonies and thrived along with the Bison. These are the Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus).

Black-tails live on the shortgrass and middlegrass prairies from eastern Montana and western North Dakota, in a broad band along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains down to west Texas and southeast Arizona. They are tan to brown in color with white to buffy white under parts and a black tip on the tail. Black-tails live in "towns" that are easily recognized by the mounds and holes at burrow entrances - as many as 20-30 entrances per acre. Towns may cover 100 acres or more.

Tunnels are dug at least 3-6 feet below the surface and about 15 feet long. Several chambers are excavated; one or more nest chamgers for sleeping and raising young, one near the entrance where they can pass each other or sit and listen for outside sounds, and a chamber for depositing waste and covering it with dirt. A new excrement chamber is dug when the old one is filled. An exit tunnel ends with a mound lower than the entrance that encourages air flow through the burrow.

Black-tails are highly social animals. The town, or colony, is the largest social unit, and may consist of several "wards" divided by natural barriers, such as trees or ridges. Animals usually do not move between wards even when neighbors are within sight. Wards consist of smaller social units called "coteries," made up of one adult male, one to four adult females, and young ones less than two years old. Black-tails mate in March or April and have one litter of 4-6 pups per year. Pups stay in burrows for about six weeks and come out in May or June, weaned and ready to eat vegetation. They are adults by fall.

Grasses and other plants are preferred food. When an area is used by prairie dogs for a while, short native grasses like buffalograss and grama grass are the plants that survive. These rodents are active in the daytime and spend almost half their daytime hours eating. They often hold food in their front paws to eat it like squirrels do.

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