Prairie Dogs
by Paul Meiman
| How would you like to be a foot tall and have your life depend on keeping the grass clipped? Not me, thanks. But that’s business as usual for prairie dogs. |
| Prairie dogs are not actually "dogs". lnstead, they are burrowing rodents that are about twelve inches long. French trappers called them "little dogs" because of the barking sound they make to warn others of danger. |
| Prairie dogs live in underground burrows up to seven feet deep and sixteen feet long. Burrows have one or more volcano shaped entrances that shed water but funnel wind down the hole for ventilation. |
| Grasses make up sixty to ninety-five percent of prairie dog diets, but these little rodents clip far more grass than they eat. Keeping plants in their colonies cut short helps them keep an eye out for dangerous predators including coyotes, bobcats, badgers, eagles, falcons and almost an other meat-eating animal. |
| Prairie dogs significantly influence the rangelands they inhabit and although they can be considered pests, they provide unique habitat for a variety of other wildlife species. From the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, I’m Paul Meiman. |