Cynomys leucurus
White-Tailed Prairie Dog
Classification
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Rodentia
- Family: Sciuridae
Geographic Range
Nearctic: Western United States: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming,
and Montana.
Physical Characteristics
White-tailed prairie dogs have a total length of 340-370mm, with a short
tail of 40-65mm. The upper body is yellowish streaked with black.
There is a spot above the eye and on the cheek of blackish-brown. The
tail hairs are white, proximally some have bands of black and pale red.
Natural History
Food Habits
The main food sources are forbs and grasses. They prefer forbs and early
successional plants.
Reproduction
Breeding occurs in late March and early April, gestation lasts for
approximately 30 days, and 3-8 young are born per litter. Little is
known about early development prior to the emergence of young above
ground in late May early June. Only one litter is produced annually.
Behavior
The only functional social unit is that of the mother and nursing
offspring. No group burrowing has been recorded, but individual burrows
together make up colonies. Juveniles migrate after weaning and establish
their own burrows, sometimes with homeranges that overlapping those
of other individuals.
Animals never emerge before sunrise and after sunset. Temperature and
weather are good predictors of activity, with hotter periods correlating
with less activity. Animals emerge from hibernation in the spring with
males emerging first. By late August all animals have returned
to hibernate for the coming winter.
Habitat
White-tailed pririe dogs inhait the grasslands and plains of the
northwestern US. It was originally thouhght that they caused deterioration
of rangelands for livestock, but now they are thought to be indicative of
poor conditions than the cause.