Black-tailed Prairie Dog
It digs deep burrows up to four metres under the ground
These little “engineer” or “architect” dig deep burrows up to four metres under the ground.
They are complex dwellings, with a room for the parents, a room at the side for the children, a rainwater drainpipe, and even galleries leading to cul-de-sacs for disorientating predators such as coyotes and rattlesnakes.
During the fine weather months, they constitute reserves of body fat by nibbling not only grass and other plants from the great American prairies, but also insects. They also store hay in their underground galleries.
When winter comes, the Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs take refuge in their burrows and fall into a deep sleep for several months on end, only awaking in their nest in order to eat a little hay.
It is the spring that then revives the entire colony.
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Discover the dozen Black-tailed Prairie Dogs in the Oasis
A less threatened species
- Name: Black-tailed Prairie Dog
- Latin name: Cynomys ludovicianus
- Origin: Texas, Utah / USA
- IUCN status: Least concerned
- Cites: --