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Prairie Dog
Highly socialized
animals, black-tailed prairie dogs live in
complex networks of tunnels that may cover
over 100 acres and include several
thousand individuals, called "towns." They
are known for thier "kissing," where group
members, as a means of recognition, will
greet each other with a touch of the nose
and with a twist of the head touch
incisors. They are also known for their
communication: they regularly have prairie
dogs at guard watching for signs of danger
(foxes, badgers, and hawks) which often
leads to "danger" calls where one will
call and chirp, announcing the danger, and
others will repeat the warning on to
others before diving into their burrows
for safety. Their populations were once
vast in the plains, but ranchers killed
them off from 99% of their previous
population due to the fact that they eat
grass, competing with the ranchers cattle.
In March of 1999 the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service determined that listing
the Black -Tailed Prairie Dog as
endangered may be warranted. This listing
would help the previous chief -predator of
the prairie dog, the black-footed ferret,
which many biologists consider to be the
most endangered animal in North
America.
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