Prairie Dog By Sierra Physical Characteristics A prairie

Prairie Dog By Sierra

Physical Characteristics A prairie dog’s length is 12 -15 inches. Their tail is 2 -3 inches. A prairie dog’s weight is 1 -3 lbs. A prairie dog’s color is black. Prairie dog’s once occupied 40 -80 million acres in a 400 million acre region.

Lifespan A prairie dog’s lifespan is 3 -5 years in the wild and 8 years in captivity.

Eating Habits/Diet A prairie dog is a omnivore. A prairie dog eats grasses, roots, sedges, seeds, forbs, insects, and flowering plants.

Population Prairie dog’s used to number in the hundreds of millions, but now they may number from 10 -20 million.

Habitat/Range Prairie dogs live in tunnels. Prairie dogs were once found across the Great Plains from southern Canada to northern Mexico.

Adaptations A prairie dog’s teeth help the prairie dog chew. A prairie dog’s claws help the prairie dog keep a hold of the prairie dog’s food. A prairie dog’s eyes help the prairie dog see the prairie dog’s prey.

Fun Fact Prairie dogs are colonial animals that live in complex networks of tunnels with multiple openings.

Endangered Because Prairie dogs are endangered because of poisoning, shooting, and a exotic disease called sylvatic plague.

Reference Defenders of the Wild. 2012. www. defenders. org