For Steph: A Prairie Dog

[urbpan]

Steph requested a pic of a prairie dog. Well, she requested a pic of a prairie dog fighting a squirrel, and I didn't come across that happening and it would be unethical to engineer it. In fact, this is the only glimpse I've had of any of the prairie dogs in the past couple months. They stay on exhibit during the winter, but are less active.

Prairie dogs are highly social ground squirrels found in the plains of North America. Historically they occurred in huge numbers, and were a keystone species for the plains ecosystem. They had the misfortune of occupying land that humans found to be useful for grazing livestock, and so were assigned the status of pest in their native habitat. Prairie dogs are still shot on sight in many places, though two of five species are listed as Endangered. The wholesale destruction of prairie dog towns led to the near extinction of the black-footed ferret.

Our prairie dogs are black-tailed prairie dogs Cynomys ludovicianus the species which still occurs in the largest numbers. This exhibit holds ten animals (I think) at the moment. The design of the exhibit (actually an old seal pool filled with soil) allows the guests to see the animals very closely. If you make the right kind of kissy noise at them, the prairie dogs will alarm bark and raise their forepaws in an adorable manner. They have a complex array of communication behaviors and probably think that our barking at them is pretty stupid. The prairie dog exhibit is one of the most popular animal exhibits in Children's Zoo.

Thanks for your donation, Steph! I'll be sending the stickers later next week.

If you have a request for a zoo animal you would like me to photograph, simply click the button and donate $5.00 to the New England Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers! Thanks!

Comments

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

Do you know why individual prairie dogs occasionally, and seemingly at random, get up on their hind legs, utter a high-pitched "Yeep!" and then go back to what they were doing (eating, mostly)?

It seems to set off a bunch of them to do the same thing. Goes on for a few minutes, then stops. (None of the "yeepers" seem to be the ones standing guard at all.)

It is an adorable behavior, but I find it confusing.

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

Awesome. I love that behavior. Gotta go try it sometime. Wonder if it works at other zoos' prairie dog populations....

[by-steph.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thanks! Did you catch the kissing prairie dog study that just came out? http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-prairie-dogs.html

Peter worked at a zoo when he was in high school. He said the prairie dogs were some of the "meanest" animals there. Guaranteed to bite if they got the chance.

[bdot.livejournal.com]

my senior year at university, i took a communications class on animal communications and my final research paper was on black-tailed prairie dogs.... i love these critters. at the san francisco zoo, the prairie dog and the meerkat exhibits are next to each other so visitors can compare them. also very popular in our children's zoo!

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

Aww I love them! They were my favourtie when I went to the zoo as a 4 year old. And (anthropomorphism alert!) are their colonies really called TOWNS?! AWWWWW!!!

You're the only person I warn for incoming anthropomorphism BTW.