Hobbies And Interests
Physical Adaptations
Prairie dogs are native to North America. They are closely related to the ground squirrel, but not much is known about their ancient history or where they originated. There are five species of prairie dog, ranging from northern Mexico to Canada, and all live and thrive in the Great Plains area. Because of this range, they have adapted hind limbs that allow them to stand upright to see over the tall grass. Prairie dogs emit a dog-like barking sound to warn their families of whatever danger they might see, including humans. They have sharp, digging claws and are built for living in burrows rather than for running long distances. Because they eat plants most of the time, their teeth are like those of a squirrel or rabbit: large incisors that continuously grow and grinding teeth in the back of their mouths for chewing up roots. They have stout bodies and fairly short legs. Their eyes are large and their vision is acute. Their brownish fur helps them blend in with the ground around them.
Behavioral Adaptations
The behavior of prairie dogs evolves as the world around them changes. A prairie dog hibernates in the winter after stuffing itself, just as bears do, to wait for warmer weather to return. When the grasses of the prairie die off, these rodents go after roots, bulbs and the occasional insect. As the prairie becomes drier and windier, prairie dogs get their water from the foods it eats or the snow in winter. Tall grasses mean it has to stand up to see if danger is threatening, and to help it with this burden, it builds tall mounds around its burrow entrances to see farther. To confuse predators, each prairie dog town consists of hundreds of individuals with entrances to each ward and neighborhood sometimes 50 feet apart. Because so many of them live in such close proximity, each family builds several warrens and rooms underground: a toilet, a daycare area, sleeping quarters, storage area and even a getaway room to serve as an air pocket should the burrow flood during the prairie's rainiest seasons.
Social Adaptations
The social life of the prairie dog is more complicated than other rodents, but less so than what humans might consider "higher" mammals. Each neighborhood consists of one male and a few females, plus their young. They must respect the boundaries they create with other neighborhoods in the ward or fighting occurs. It pays to get along with your neighbors in prairie dog society since at any point they see a predator, their warning bark also alerts the community. There are always sentries on guard while the other prairie dogs forage in the cooler times of day. Each family takes it upon itself to set up a sentry, meaning there are plenty of eyes always watching. Females have pups once a year, and when it gets too crowded, the parents move off to form another burrow on the edge of the town. They also "kiss" to greet one another and mutually groom each other to strengthen their familial bonds.
Adaptations in Captivity
Prairie dogs have been caught for use as exotic pets and to raise for use in zoos. Some types are endangered while others remain vulnerable to habitat loss and human interference. Yet they are still considered a pest by many farmers in the United States, and in some areas, shooting them is a sport. The use of prairie dogs in captivity has allowed them to adapt to many things, including the presence of humans and a better diet, which helps them to live much longer than in the wild. Also, the lack of predators also boosts their longevity. One thing they haven't adapted to, unfortunately, are the same diseases that wipe them out in nature, such as the bubonic plague, one of several diseases that can transfer from prairie dogs to humans.