Prairie Dogs essays

Prairie Dogs essays Prairie dogs are small, rodents like mammals that live in the western united states. There are millions of prairie dogs that live in the dry plains of the western united states. Most prairie dogs have light brown to tan fur. White tail prairie dogs have a white tipped tail and black tail prairie dogs have a black tipped tail. Prairie dogs are about 4-7 inches tall, 9-14 inches long and weigh about 1.5 to 3 pounds. Prairie dogs are not nocturnal. This means that most of their activities take place in the day-time. During the winter, prairie dogs do not hibernate, and they do not migrate. However, they are slightly less active in the winter. One main instinct of prairie dogs is to let out a high pitched dog like bark to alert other prairie dogs of danger. Some predators of prairie dogs are snakes, hawks, and ferrets. The main predators of prairie dogs are farmers. Farmers shoot, poison, trap and sometimes even blow up prairie dogs because they destroy agricultural land. Because of this , the Mexican prairie dog is becoming endangered. This is the only species of prairie dog that is endangered. Prairie dogs mainly eat vegetation. This includes grasses, roots and weeds in the wild, and apples, yams, and puppy chow in captivity. Prairie dogs are expected to live 3-5 years in the wild and about 8 years in captivity. When a prairie dog is pregnant, it takes about one month for a litter of prairie dogs to be born. The female prairie dog gives birth to 3-8 young. The mating season of a prairie dog is mid-spring. ...