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Courtesy
of Llano Estacado Audubon Society
Common Name:
Black-tailed Prairie
Dog
Scientific
Name:
Cynomys ludovicianus
Habitat:
Found on plains and plateaus of North America from southern Saskatchewan
to northern Mexico.
Diet:
Herbivorous; eats mostly grasses and forbs. Forbs, often called weeds,
are dicotyledons and include individual plants from many families. The
general term forb refers to any herbaceous, broadleaf plant without
regard to family classification.
Profile:
The
Black-tailed Prairie Dog is not a dog, but a stout, burrowing ground
squirrel named for its barking call. These “dogs” live in the western
U.S. in ten states: Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. It is
extirpated from Arizona. Roughly half of the U.S. prairie dog
population lives in South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Black-tailed
Prairie Dogs occupy less than 1 percent of the land they once occupied a
century ago (Miller et al. 1994).
The prairie dogs excavate elaborate systems of burrows in flat prairie
lands and create “towns” comprised of thousands of animals. The burrows
are easily identified because of the large mound of dirt surrounding the
entrance, providing a vantage point to spot approaching predators as
well as flood protection.
Life and
Reproduction:
Prairie dogs have a low
rate of reproduction compared with other small mammals. They become
reproductively viable at two years of age, breed only once a year, and
the average litter size is three to four pups. Their lifespan is
typically 4-5 years in the wild.
Prairie Dogs as “Keystone Species”
The
Black-tailed Prairie Dog is a “keystone species” -- defined as one whose
presence and activities are critical to the entire ecosystem.
Black-tailed Prairie Dogs create an environment around their colonies --
huge complexes of tunnels and mounds surrounded by short-clipped grass
that provide homes and shelter for a myriad of creatures. The
Black-tailed Prairie Dog is a critical food source for a number of
animals - including several birds of prey. Since Black-tailed Prairie
Dogs are the only prairie dog species, and one of only a few rodents
that do not hibernate in the winter, they are vitally important winter
food sources for prairie predators.
Biologists have concluded that nine prairie species are dependent on
prairie dogs (Kotliar et al. 1999), an additional 20 species
opportunistically take advantage of prairie dog colonies, and a total of
117 species have some relationship with prairie dog colonies (Reading et
al. 1989). Those species that are considered dependent on prairie dogs
are:
Burrowing Owl
Golden Eagle
Ferruginous Hawk
Black-footed Ferret
Mountain Plover
Horned Lark
Grasshopper Mouse
Deer Mouse
Swift Fox
"Prairie
dogs have been part of the Texas ecosystem for millions of years and are
a reflection of healthy ecosystems. Today, it is estimated that 98
percent of the population has been lost, and that only three hundred
thousand prairie dogs remain in Texas," states mammalogist Dr. David
Schmidly.
The Western
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies stated in their Black-Tailed
Prairie Dog Memorandum of Understanding (1999) that: “All member
affected agencies agree that Black-tailed Prairie Dogs are an important
natural component of the short to mid-grass ecosystem. As such
Black-tailed Prairie Dogs serve as an indicator of the overall health of
this important habitat type in western North America. Further, the
presence and abundance of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs reflects humankind’s
commitment to maintaining all natural components of the short to
mid-grass ecosystem so that all uses of this type are sustainable over
time.”
References:
Kotliar,
Natasha B., Bruce W. Baker, April D. Whicker, Glenn Plumb. 1999. “A
critical review of assumptions about the prairie dog as a keystone
species.” Environmental Management 24 (2): 177-192.
Miller, B., G Ceballos, and R.P. Reading. 1994. “The Prairie Dog and
Biotic Diversity.” Conservation Biology 8:677-681.
Reading, R.P. et al. 1989. “Attributes of Black-Tailed Prairie Dog
Colonies in Northcentral Montana, with Management Recommendations for
the Conservation of Biodiversity.” The Prairie Dog Ecosystem: Managing
for Biological Diversity. Montana BLM Wildlife Technical Bulletin No. 2.
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 1999. Black-tailed
Prairie Dog Memorandum of Understanding.
Llano Estacado Audubon Society
http://www.leas.bizland.com
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