Gunnison's prairie dog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gunnison's prairie dog |
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| Conservation status | |
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Cynomys
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| Species: |
gunnisoni
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| Gunnison's Prairie Dog range | |
The Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) is one of five types of prairie dogs. These animals are part of the squirrel family of rodents. They are closely related to ground squirrels found in North America and Eurasia. You can mostly find Gunnison's prairie dogs in the Four Corners area of the United States.
Contents
Discovering Gunnison's Prairie Dogs
Gunnison's prairie dogs are about 12 to 14 inches (30 to 37 centimeters) long. Their tails are shorter, measuring 1.25 to 2.25 inches (3 to 6 centimeters). They usually weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram). Male prairie dogs are typically bigger than females. These animals have 22 teeth and five pairs of mammary glands.
The Gunnison's prairie dog is special because it has 40 chromosomes. The other four types of prairie dogs have 50 chromosomes. These include the black-tailed, white-tailed, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs.
What They Look Like
Their fur is a mix of yellow-brown and black hairs. The top of their head, sides of their cheeks, and eyebrows are darker. Their tails are mostly white with grayish-white ends. The very tips of their tails are light gray.
Gunnison's prairie dogs shed their fur twice a year. This happens in the spring and fall. In spring, they shed from their head towards their tail. In the fall, the process is reversed, starting from the tail and moving to the head.
A unique feature of prairie dogs is where their eyes are placed. Their eyes are on the sides of their heads. This gives them a very wide view of their surroundings. This helps them spot predators quickly and react fast to danger.
What Gunnison's Prairie Dogs Eat
Gunnison's prairie dogs usually eat during the day. This is when they are most active. Their diet mainly includes grasses, herbs, and leaves. In the spring, they eat fresh new shrubs. During the summer, they mostly eat seeds.
Food can be hard to find in winter and fall. In these months, they eat stems and roots. They also rely on food they stored during warmer times. Most prairie dogs are plant-eaters, but some also eat insects.
Where Gunnison's Prairie Dogs Live
About three-quarters of all Gunnison's prairie dogs live in Arizona and New Mexico. You can find them in places like high deserts, grasslands, meadows, hillsides, and wide river valleys. They often live near shrubs such as rabbitbrush, sagebrush, and saltbrush.
These prairie dogs live in habitats from 6,000 to 10,000 feet high. Some have even been seen at altitudes as high as 12,000 feet.
The sagebrush ecosystem depends on these animals. When Gunnison's prairie dogs dig burrows, they help the soil. Their digging adds organic matter and allows more water to soak into the ground. Their burrows also create homes and expose food for other animals.
How Gunnison's Prairie Dogs Live Together
Gunnison's prairie dogs live in large groups called colonies. These colonies can have hundreds of individuals. Each colony is divided into smaller areas. These areas are used by family groups or single prairie dogs.
These family groups can have from two to 19 prairie dogs. They might be one male and one female, one male and many females, or many males and many females. How these groups are arranged might depend on where food is located.
These groups protect their areas. They can act aggressively towards animals that are not part of their group. Prairie dogs often feed in areas that are not strongly defended by other groups. However, if members from different groups meet, conflicts can happen. One prairie dog might chase another back to its own territory.
Daily Life and Behavior
All prairie dogs, including the Gunnison's prairie dog, are diurnal. This means they are most active during the day. They are busiest in the early morning and late afternoon. When the weather is warm, they are most active around 9 a.m. and from 2 p.m. until about an hour before sunset. When it gets cooler, they are more active throughout the day. If it snows or rains, prairie dogs stay safely underground.
Above ground, they do many things. They make social contact, watch for predators, groom themselves, and dig burrows. Their main activity above ground is finding food. Gunnison's prairie dogs are considered less social than black-tailed prairie dogs. However, they are more social than white-tailed prairie dogs. Studies show that female Gunnison's prairie dogs are more likely to be friendly with other prairie dogs. Males are more likely to start conflicts.
Most prairie dogs hibernate during the winter. The only exceptions are the black-tailed and Mexican prairie dogs. During winter, the Gunnison's prairie dog stays underground for long periods. They do this without food or water. Their bodies use special ways to control their metabolism. They also use stored body fat to survive hibernation. After hibernating, they become active again around March or April. This species is most active from April through October.
How Gunnison's Prairie Dogs Communicate
Gunnison's prairie dogs communicate in a few ways. They use physical contact, like cuddling and "kissing." They also use sounds, such as a warning bark. Their vocal communication is very important for their survival and how their community works.
Their system of vocal communication is complex. It might be one of the most advanced animal languages known. Con Slobodchikoff, a biology professor, has studied prairie dogs for 20 years. He says prairie dogs "have one of the most advanced forms of natural language known to science."
The bark is usually one or two high-pitched sounds. The second sound is often lower and deeper. Prairie dogs have unique sounds to identify different predators. They also have different barks for warning and "all-clear" signals. Experts have identified up to 11 different warning calls. Female prairie dogs with young are more likely to give a warning bark than males.
The warning signal is vital for their survival. It tells other prairie dogs that danger is near. This bark can last up to 30 minutes and be heard almost a mile away. As danger gets closer, the signal becomes more intense. It stops once the prairie dog is safe in its burrow.
Studies have also shown that prairie dogs can tell the difference between different colors of clothing people wear. They can also tell if people are acting in a threatening or non-threatening way.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The mating season for Gunnison's prairie dogs starts in mid-March and lasts until mid-May. A female can have babies when she is one year old. If food is hard to find during mating season, she might wait another year before breeding. Females usually have one litter per year. Each litter has about four to five pups.
Once the pups are born, the mother nurses them for about 30 to 40 days. During this time, the young pups stay safe in their underground nesting burrow. Towards the end of this period, the young pups can come out above ground. They must learn to become independent from their mothers. As soon as the mother finishes caring for her young, she moves to another burrow. She leaves her now-independent young behind. Soon after, the young scatter to other empty burrows.
Many female Gunnison's prairie dogs stay close to where they were born for their whole lives. However, very few males stay close to their birth areas for longer than one year.
The life span of a Gunnison's prairie dog is usually three to five years in the wild. Some can live up to eight years old.
The number of Gunnison's prairie dogs is decreasing. This is due to several factors, including human activities and disease. Many groups are asking for the Gunnison's Prairie Dog to be protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Predators and Health Challenges
Many animals hunt Gunnison's prairie dogs. These include badgers, wolves, coyotes, bobcats, black-footed ferrets, weasels, golden eagles, and large hawks. Humans also impact prairie dog populations. For example, some ranchers try to remove them from their land.
Plague (disease), caused by bacteria called Yersinia pestis, can also affect prairie dogs. This disease is spread by fleas and can cause many prairie dogs to die.
Images for kids
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A Gunnison's Prairie Dog
See also
In Spanish: Perrito de las praderas de Gunnison para niños
