Mammals · Rodentia · Sciuridae

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

Cynomys ludovicianus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It lives in vast cooperative underground 'towns'; the largest colony ever documented stretched across some 65,000 km² with an estimated population of 400 million.

Weight

700 g – 1.6 kg

Size

35.5 cm – 41.5 cm

Lifespan

4 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

GrasslandHerbivore Diurnal Colonial Grassland Mammal

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Fun facts

It is a keystone species that many predators depend on, the black-footed ferret among them.
It feeds on short grasses, roots and seeds.
It lives in the short, semi-arid grassland of the Great Plains of North America.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Short, semi-arid grassland of the Great Plains of North America
Birth weight: ~15 g at birth, blind and hairless
Size at birth: ~15 g at birth
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 30-38 days (average ~34.6 days)
Litter / clutch size: 1 to 8 pups per litter (3-4 on average by the time they emerge from the burrow)
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 15 years

Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Center for Biological Diversity; NHPBS NatureWorks; Smithsonian National Zoo; EDDMapS; Texas Tech NSRL Mammals of Texas; SDZWA Fact Sheet