Endangered Species Report: Utah Prairie Dog (Cynonys parridens)
by: Megan Sutton

Don Getty; http://www.dongettyphoto.com/

General Information:

The animal that I chose for my endangered species project is the Utah Prairie Dog also known as the Cynonys parridens. Prairie dogs play an important role in the ecosystem by increasing the nutrition in grasses. The grasses where prairie dogs colonize are found to have a greater nutritional quality than uncolonized areas. They also help the soil from their digging burrows and adding fertilizer. The way that the prairie dogs graze and dig also increase the water value. The abandoned burrows are also used as homes for burrowing owls and rabbits. Since prairie dogs are prey they also are used as food for their predators such as foxes, snakes, and owls. Prairie dogs contribute to the overall amount of animal populations in their areas. That Utah Prairie Dog is found mostly in central and southern Utah which is in the United States, but can be found anywhere in the state. They colonize in large grasslands. Where there is an abundance of vegetation. The Utah Prairie Dog can be found above and under ground. Although you will notice when you stumble across a colony when you see the endless mounds of dirt and holes. The Utah Prairie Dog is a burrowing animal. Which means that they dig tunnels underground and that is where they will sleep and live. The prairie dogs burrows are called towns. A burrow to a prairie dog is like our home. The prairie dogs burrow tunnels from about two to six feet long that attached to chambers. Chambers can be found very deep in the ground and very close to the surface. The deepest champers is used to raising young since it is difficult for their predators to reach the defenseless babies. The chambers that are found closer to the ground are used for listening for predators, and other events that are happening above ground. The prairie dogs also build massive mounds that you can find around their tunnels. These mounds serve as lookouts for the prairie dogs and protection for their burrows since they will keep water out. (6.The Utah Prairie Dog p1)

Physical Description:

The Utah Prairie dog is a rodent, and they are the smallest of all the prairie dog species. They are about 17 inches long. Their weight ranges from 1/2lb to 2 1/2lbs. The Utah Prairie dog come in a beige color and can have small white patches around their nose and eyes. The Utah Prairie Dogs are usually look like they are fat or a bit big boned since they are prown to obesity. They also have 22 teeth. Their ears are also very short and usually are hidden beneath their fur. (6.The Utah Prairie Dog p3).

Other:

The lifespan of a Utah Prairie Dog ranges from about 3-5 years. Although the life span is increased in captivity since they don’t have predators. The prairie dogs feet are made specifically for digging burrows. Their feet are flat and are usually cream in color. A thing that you will find on a prairie dogs foot is their long hard nails. These nails make digging their burrows easier. With out the nails on their feet the Prairie dog could not live underground in burrows because their feet would become bloody and it would be extremely painful the dig at the amount that they do. Prairie dogs have an extremely complex communication system that is unlike the kind of any other animal. It contains verbal and physical ways of communicating. Con Slobodchikoff, a researcher studying prairie dog communication says that prairie dogs "have one of the most advanced forms of natural language known to science" (Con Slobodchikoff p.2). Their verbal communication ranges from diffent types of barks for different predators. They also use different sounds in different speeds that people say is the gramical component of their communication. They also have different ways of communicating by physical behavior. When two prairie dogs are greeting each other they will come up and touch each others teeth. Prairie dogs can also distinguish non-threatening behaviors in humans; they can also distinguish different people by the color of their cloths. The Utah Prairie Dog is diurnal animals. Although they do hibernate for short periods of time during the winter. The normal social system of a prairie dog has one male and several females, and their offspring. The population of a prairie dog colony ranges from 5 to 35 prairie dogs per acre. (5.Prairie Dog Communication p1).

Breeding Habits:

For rodents the Utah Prairie dog produces at a very low rate. Each female will have one litter of pups a year. Each litter has from three to five pups in it. Female prairie dogs become sexually mature at one year of age. Males become sexually mature at two years of age. Females are only able to mate one day out of the whole, which causes the males to fight over the female. A female may mate with multiple males which mean one litter of pups may have different fathers. The females become in season in March. The prairie dogs usually breed around their burrows but above ground. The fertility period of a female prairie dog is 34 to 35 days. After the babies are borne in one of the lower chambers of the burrow, the mother will protect the babies. The mother will usually keep the young in their chamber for about five weeks. After that five week period the young begin to travel out of the chamber and slowly travel father away in search for food. (1.The Utah Prairie Dog p5).

Feeding Behavior:

The Utah Prairie Dog will usually graze on nearby grasses and other plants for their main source of food. The prairies dogs only prey are insects that they are able to catch although they have several predators. Their main predators are goshawks, foxes, badgers, and ravens. Males that have not found a clan of females are the most vulnerable. Along with pregnant females since they are unable to move as fast as the other prairie dogs. The prairie dog will usually graze on the grasses nearby their burrows. Although it has been found that Utah’s land is not suitable for agriculture. Most of this has been blamed on how the prairie dogs graze on the grass. (3.Utah Prairie Dog Faces Extinction p1-4).

Conservation Efforts:

The main reason why the Utah Prairie dog is an endangered species is because of us. People had started poisoning the prairie dogs when they would start to build “towns” on their land, and decrease the value of it. This causes the people to find an easy way to get rid of these pests and started to posing them. With the poisoning of the prairie dogs they started to die off and not very many were left to reproduce. It was estimated that by the year 2000 the Utah Prairie dog would be extinct but they have hung in their. A secondary reason why the Utah Prairie dog became on the endangered species list was because with humans poisoning them and decreasing their population they also have a huge amount of predators. Before people started poisoning them the prairie dogs had a nice amount to still have a large population with predators. With this balance being broken it caused their population to decrease even more. When the Utah Prairie dog’s population decreased down to only 37 colonies they were listed on the endangered species list in 1973. The Prairie Dog Coalition is the main group working to save the Utah Prairie Dog. The Prairie Dog Coalition works on several things to help save all prairie dogs in general. They fight to keep more land for the prairie dogs since their habitat is getting destroyed daily. They help to relocate prairie dogs that are habitats that have already been destroyed. They also give seminars to help people understand why we need to protect these animals and what we can do to help. (4.Utah Prairie Dog p4).

Summary:

Well I decided to do my Endangered Species project on the Utah Prairie Dog because a few years ago I did a project on the black footed ferret. One of the prairie dogs main predators, after learning about them I became fascinated with prairie dogs. After searching the endangered species list I found the Utah Prairie Dog and since I didn’t know anything about them I decided to take a stab at it. I found out how interesting the little animals can be and how their way of life is so helpful for all of the wildlife in Utah. With out the Utah Prairie Dog there would be more animals on our endangered species list since so many animals rely on this little rodent to survive. (6.Utah Prairie Dog p2).

Sources:

1. Bangs, Tristian. "The Utah Prairie Dog" <www.orecity.k12.or.us>.

2. "Prairie Dog Protection Urged in Western Twist on Groundhog Day." Encarta.
2003 ed.

3. "Utah Prairie Dog Faces Extinction." Ebsco.

4. Bangs, Tristian. "The Utah Prairie Dog."
URL: www.orecity.k12.or.us

5. Slobodchikoff, Con. "Prairie Dog Communication."
URL: http://www.prairiedog.info/Prairie_Dog_Communication.htm.

6. "Utah Prairie Dog."
URL: www.prairiedogcoalition.org.