Ecologists consider this rodent to be a keystone species. They are an important prey species, being the primary diet in prairie species such as the Black-footed Ferret, the Swift Fox, the Golden Eagle, the badger, and the Ferruginous Hawk. Other species, such as the Mountain Plover and the Burrowing Owl, also rely on prairie dog burrows for nesting areas. Even grazing species such as bison, pronghorn, and mule deer have shown a proclivity for grazing on the same land used by prairie dogs. It is believed that they prefer the vegetative conditions after prairie dogs have foraged through the area.
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I saw a programme on BBC TV, I seem to recall, which suggested that prairie dogs have a considerable vocabulary. It started off explaining that they have different alarm calls for different species of predator. Then indicated that, as different individual predators (eg individual coyotes) have different methods of attack, the prairie dogs’ alarm calls appeared to differentiate between individual known predators. Finally – though I thought this strained credulity a bit – the presenter claimed that the alarm call with which the particular group she was watching greeted her arrival on the scene appeared to differ according to what colour dress she was wearing. That, at least, is my recollection. Does that sound plausible? I’m sure it was prairie dogs, and it was a serious programme. Well, it was the BBC.
Beautiful portraits, btw. I expect he’d like a set of prints to impress his friends.
This what I read:
Prairie Dogs have a high-pitched, bark-like call. Recent studies suggest that Prairie Dogs possess the most sophisticated of all natural animal languages. They apparently issue different sounds identifying various predators, which include hawks, owls, eagles, ravens, coyotes, badgers, ferrets and snakes. Prairie Dogs can run up to 35 miles per hour for short distances. The Prairie Dog has only one defense that works — raising the alarm and disappearing quickly.
Brilliant. My recollection is that the BBC woman wore a single colour – blue one day, red another &c – and they analysed the PD sentries’ alarm calls and noted slight differences according to “what colour she was” that day.
Cute little guys.
A cutie!
We recently moved to Colorado and were told not to let our dog run in a field that is inhabited by prarie dogs. Their excrement can make a dog quite sick. Can you tell us anything about this? The pictures of this little animals are adorable!
Boo, I am not an expert on Prairie Dogs but I have never heard of this before.
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