Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

1. Black-tailed Prairie Dogs By Reina Womack

2. Fun Facts to Know • Stands about 14 to 17 inches tall • Weighs about 3 pounds • Brown in color with black tip on tails • Talk to each other with a barking sound • Social animal

3. Prairie Dog Home • Called colonies – one large family unit • Each family lives in a coteries • Families are made up of one male, few females and babies

4. Inside the Home • This is a burrow or coterie. • Inside the burrow is tunnels. This is how the prairie dogs move from one part of the burrow to another. • One room could be used for the mother and babies to stay in. • Another could be used resting. • Another could be used to escape from weather or other animals.

5. Domes • Prairie dogs build domes or rims on their burrows to keep outrain. • Help winds blow through the burrows for air. • Helps them look out for predators (animals or birds that can hurt them).

6. Keeping Watch • Prairie Dogs keep watch on what is happening all around them. They keep watch for other animals, birds or humans that will hurt them.

7. Other Animals • Prairie Dogs share their land with other animals such as the longhorn cattle, bison and burrowing owls. • These animals help the prairie dogs keep the grass and forbs (weeds) cut short to help keep out predators. • Predators are animals or birds that want to eat the prairie dogs.

8. Longhorn Cattle

9. Bison

10. Burrowing Owls

11. Having breakfast • Prairie dogs eat grasses and forbs (weeds) during summer.

12. Prickly Pears • During winter months, they like to eat prickly pear, thistle and plant roots. • They get water from these plants also.

13. Black-tailed Prairie Dogs • Prairie Dogs are important to our land. • They help the land by the way they clip the grasses and forbs. • Sharing their colonies with other species. • They help the rangelands continue to grow and produce.

14. Dogs enjoying the day!