Meet the cute and charismatic Gunnison’s prairie dog
What is a prairie dog?
A prairie dog is not a dog or a member of the canine family but rather a rodent and member of the Sciuridae family, which includes squirrels.
Why is a prairie dog called a dog?
Prairie dogs are called dogs because the sound they make is said to sound like a dog’s bark
How big are Gunnison’s prairie dogs?
Gunnison’s prairie dogs are between 30–37cm long (males are larger than females) and weigh between 900–950g.
What do Gunnison’s prairie dogs look like
They have a yellow-buff coat with grizzled effect produced by dark hairs. Greyish- white tip to tail; in all other prairie dog species, the tail-tip is pure white or black.
What do they eat?
Grass stems, herbs, seeds and the leaves of shrubs
Where do they live?
They favour grassland and semi-desert; also found in brush at higher elevations of up to 3,600m. Burrows are often sited on slopes to avoid flooding.
Gunnison’s prairie dogs have a relatively small range that stretches from the plains of northern Arizona and New Mexico into south-east Utah and south-west Colorado.
How long do they live for?
Their lifespan is between 3–5 years in the wild.
Do they hibernate?
Gunnison’s prairie dogs enters a period of torpor between late September and March.
How do they breed?
After emergence in spring, females are sexually receptive for just one day. A litter of 4–6 pups is produced after a gestation period of about 30 days.
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