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Black-tail Prairie Dog
Males range in length from 360-415mm, of which 75-98mm is tail.
Females are slightly smaller than males. The ears are very short and
often hidden in the fur. They have rudimentary cheek pouches, well
furred wrists and heels, and the females have eight mammae. The
skull is heavy, and the molar teeth are much larger than those of
the ground squirrels. The fur is uniform in color and lacks striking
patterns. The dorsum is a uniform pale cinnamon-buff, lined with
scattered black hairs toward the rump, forehead and cheeks. The
lower part of the face and the ventrer are pale buffy-white. The
feet are a creamy color. The base of the tail is cinnamon, whereas
the tail tip is black.
Reproduction
Mating takes place early in the year, with timing of mating varying
with location. The gestation period (about 30 days) is followed by
the birth of two to eight young. These altricial young are born
hairless and naked. They weigh about 55 grams at birth and measure
around 82 mm in length. The young develop relatively slowly, and
until the young are weaned, they are very susceptible to infanticide
by the adult females in the colony. The young do not appear above
ground until they are about 6 weeks old. They are weaned around
seven weeks of age, but they stay around the natal burrow for about
two more weeks before they disperse. Females can breed as yearlings.
Males sometimes are not able to establish themselves as breeders
until their second year.
Behavior
Prairie dogs are the most social of the ground- dwelling sciurid.
Prairie dog colonies , or towns, may contain hundreds of individuals
living within a very restricted area. Within the town there are
certain neighborhoods, or coteries. Females typically remain in
their natal coterie, whereas males disperse to a nearby coterie.
Each coterie is populated by a group of closely related females
(sister, mothers, aunts) and one or two territorial males.
Territories are defended aggressively from neighbors. Within the
coterie, all things are shared. Burrow systems and food supplies are
communal property . Territorial defense is shared by all members of
the coterie. Male prairie dogs respond strongly to intrusions of
other male prairie dogs, but seem oblivious to invading females.
Female prairie dogs, by contrast, show the most aggression toward
invading females.
Prairie dogs have long been noted for their highly social behavior.
There is often playing, muzzling, mutual grooming, and a great deal
of vocal communication. For instance, when a prairie dog spots a
predator, such as a hawk, badger or black-footed ferret, it raises an
alarm call, alerting its neighbors. All of the prairie dogs hearing
this cry quickly scuttle into their burrows for protection.
The only time there is strife with a coterie is during the breeding
season. Females display dominance relationships only when they are
pregnant and lactating. During this time, females fight, and when
they have the opportunity, they raid the burrows of other females
and kill the pups they find there. It is not surprising that during
this time, females aggressively defend their natal burrow against
other females.
Once the young come above ground, however, harmony returns to the
coterie. Indeed, young have been observed following the "wrong"
mother into a burrow at night. The female nurses the youngster as if
it were her own. It is not certain whether mothers can distinguish
their young from the young of other mothers once the young have come
above ground.
Food Habits
Black-tailed prairie dogs eat primarily leaves, stems, and roots of
grasses, weeds, and forbs. Although vegetable matter forms over 98%
of the prairie dog's diet, animal matter may sometimes be ingested.
The animals typically eaten by prairie dogs are grasshoppers,
cutworms, bug and beetles. The prairie dog does not need to drink
water in order to get the moisture it needs to survive. It can get
all of the water it requires from its moist, leafy foods. Most
prairie dogs forage close to their burrows when possible, moving
into distant foraging areas only when forced to do so by local
shortages of green shoots. In captivity they should be offered a
complete diet of rodent lab blocks, and rat or mouse
mix, with bits of fruit or veggies regularly. Cheerios or wheat
bread are great treats, in small quantities. Do NOT feed chocolate,
fried foods, salted foods, candy or junk food! They may enjoy
crickets and mealworms if they are captive bred, never feed wild
insects as they may carry parasites. Vitamins, like Nutri-Cal are a good addition to their diet, and added calcium
during nursing and growth due to demands on their systems at those
times, but take care not to overdo it. Water bottles should be used
to proved constant, clean water. Ceramic or stoneware food dishes
work well for keeping seeds or fresh foods off the floor, and a wire
mesh hopper that allows them to eat the lab blocks through without
extra waste.
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