Hobbies And Interests
Burrows
Prairie dogs excavate elaborate underground burrows. The tunnels slope downward to prevent flooding. In case of flooding, prairie dogs construct a safe room to go to and wait until the water subsides. Burrows have separate rooms for nurseries, restrooms, sleeping and storage. A mound of dirt marks each burrow entrance, and prairie dogs post a sentry to watch for predators. During the day, prairie dogs spend a good deal of time performing burrow maintenance.
Diet
Prairie dogs are vegetarians and feed on grasses, leafy plants, roots and seeds. The animals spend the day foraging because they don't store food in their burrows. Prairie dogs eat the tall plants around their burrows, leaving a clear space and making it easier to spot predators. Prairie dogs get all the water they need from the plants they eat. The animals hibernate during the winter, living off their fat reserves.
Towns
Prairie dogs live in towns that can extend for miles in all directions. Tens of thousands of prairie dogs can live in one town. One prairie dog town in Texas covers 25,000 square miles and contains an estimated 400 million prairie dogs. Family groups called coteries have one male, several females and their offspring. Coteries form wards, and towns contain several wards. Individual coteries defend their home territory from others.
Vocalizations
Prairie dogs have a complex communication system that alerts others to danger. One prairie dog serves as sentry and at the first sign of danger emits a series of sharp barks to warn others, bobs up and down, barks again and disappears into the burrow for safety. Prairie dogs have different vocalizations for different predators, which include badgers, coyotes, eagles, ferrets, hawks, owls, snakes and ravens. When it's safe, the sentry sounds an "all-clear."