Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) is one of five species of the prairie dog. This species belongs to the squirrel family of rodents, and are predominantly related to the North American and Eurasian ground squirrels. Gunnison's prairie dogs are primarily distributed in the Four Corners region of the United States.

Gunnison's prairie dogs are 12 to 14 inches (30 to 37 centimeters) in length and have tails that measure 1.25 to 2.25 inches (3 to 6 centimeters). This species weighs from 1.5 to 2.5 lbs (0.5 to 1 kg). On average, males are larger in size than females. Gunnison's prairie dogs have 22 teeth, and five pairs of mammary glands.

The Gunnison's prairie dog, C. gunnisoni, is the only prairie dog species that has 40 chromosomes. The other four species, black-tailed, white-tailed, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs, have 50 chromosomes. Their coats are yellow-toned buff merged with black-colored hairs. The upper head, sides of the cheek, and eyebrows are distinctly darker than the rest of the body. Their tails are mostly white with grayish-white ends and the tips are light gray.

The Gunnison's prairie dogs go through two yearly periodic moults during spring and fall. In spring, the shedding begins from the head to the rear tail. The process is reversed in the winter, it starts from the tail and proceeds to head.

A distinguishing physical trait of the prairie dog is the placement of the eyes. They are situated on the sides of their heads, giving them a wide peripheral range of sight. This allows them to spot predators more easily and react as quickly as possible.

The Gunnison's prairie dog typically feeds during the day, when they are most active. Their diet usually consists of grasses, herbs, and leaves. During the spring, they feed on newly grown shrubs. In the summer, they mainly consume seeds. Food is scarce in winter and fall. During these months, they feed on stems and roots, and stored food accumulated in the warmer months. While most prairie dogs are typically herbivores, some eat insects.

Three-quarters of the population of Gunnison's prairie dogs are located in Arizona and New Mexico.[7][9] They can be found in high desert, grasslands, meadows, hillsides, broad alluvial valleys and floodplains. They are often found in shrubs, such as rabbitbrush, sagebrush, and saltbrush. This species of prairie dogs resides in habitats ranging from 6,000-10,000 feet in altitude, although they have been recorded at altitudes as high as 12,000 feet.

The sagebrush ecosystem is dependent on these animals. As a result of the Gunnison's prairie dogs burrowing, the soil is freshened, organic matter is added, and increased water penetration is able to occur. Their burrowing also creates habitats and exposes food sources for other creatures.

Gunnison's prairie dogs live in colonies of up to several hundred individuals. Each colony is subdivided into smaller territories occupied by communal groups or solitary individuals. These communities of prairie dogs vary from two to 19 individuals and may be composed of a single male/single female, single male/multiple females, or multiple males/multiple females. Arrangement of the communities or social groups may be linked with the distribution of food resources. The territories inhabited by the Gunnison's prairie dog are defended by social groups, and violent behavior is common toward other animals who are not members. These prairie dogs often feed in feebly defended peripheral sections of territories that belong to other groups, but when members from different groups meet in these common feeding areas, conflicts can arise, with one prairie dog chasing the other back to its territory.

All prairie dogs, including the Gunnison's prairie dog, are diurnal. This means they exert the most activity in the early morning and late afternoon. During warm weather, the highest activity levels occur at about 9 a.m., and from 2 p.m. to about an hour before the sunsets. When the temperature starts to cool, they become more active during the day. When it snows or rains, the prairie dogs will stay underground.

Their above-ground activities include making social contact, being aware of their surroundings and predators, grooming, burrowing, etc. Their main activity above ground is feeding. Although Gunnison's prairie dogs are considered to be less social than black-tailed prairie dogs, they are considered to be more social than the white-tailed prairie dogs. Studies have shown female Gunnison's prairie dogs are far more likely to engage in friendly social contact with other prairie dogs, and males are more likely to create conflict.

With the exception of two species, the black-tailed and Mexican, prairie dogs hibernate. During the winter, the Gunnison's prairie dog stays underground for long periods of time without food or water, using physiological adaptations to control their metabolism. Their bodies also rely on their stored body fat during hibernation. After hibernation, they become active again around March or April. This species is most active during the months of April through October.

The Gunnison's prairie dog communicates through forms of physical contact, such as cuddling and kissing, and through vocalization, such as a warning bark. Their vocal communication is the foundation to their survival and structure of their community. Their system of vocal communication is complex and may be one of the most advanced forms of communication of all-natural animal languages. Con Slobodchikoff, a Northern Arizona University biology professor, has been researching the behavior of prairie dogs for 20 years, and states prairie dogs "have one of the most advanced forms of natural language known to science."

The bark is a combination of one or two high-pitched audible syllables, with the second syllable lower and deeper. Prairie dogs have a unique sound to identify each of various predators. They also have different barks for warning and "all-clear" signals. Researchers and experts have been able to classify up to 11 distinct warning call the prairie dog uses to communicate. Also, females with offspring are more likely to give off a warning bark than males.

The warning signal is their primary source of survival because it alerts the other prairie dogs to nearby danger. It can last for up to 30 minutes and can be heard nearly a mile away. As danger approaches, the intensity of the signal increases, and it ends after the prairie dog has entered its safe haven.

Studies have also shown prairie dogs can distinguish between the different colors of clothing people wear, and between people expressing threatening and nonthreatening behavior.

Gunnison’s Prairie Dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) - Williams Arizona

The White-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys leucurus) is found in western Wyoming and western Colorado with small areas in eastern Utah and southern Montana. The largest populations are in Wyoming where they are known colloquially as "chiselers".[3] This prairie dog species lives at an elevation between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, generally a higher elevation than other prairie dog species. Its predators include black-footed ferrets, badgers, and golden eagles.

The white-tailed prairie dog is tan-brown in color, with large eyes and a dark patch on their cheeks above and below each eye. This prairie dog species weighs between 28 - 53oz (800 - 1500g), while having a length between 12 - 16in (315 - 399mm).

White-tailed prairie dogs display Interspecific competition with the Wyoming ground squirrel. When the squirrel enters the territory of the prairie dog, the white-tailed prairie dog chases the squirrel. Rarely does the prairie dog capture and kill the squirrel, but when it does, it leaves the squirrel for avian predators, as the prairie dog is an herbivore. Female white-tailed prairie dogs who killed squirrels had increased litter sizes, but the higher her body count, the lower her chances of surviving each subsequent attack.[6] White-tailed prairie dogs are diurnal, being the most active in the morning and afternoon. This species also hibernates in the winter seasons within their underground burrows and emerge to the surface when warmer seasonal changes occur. Male white-tailed prairie dogs emerge in late February to early March, while the female white-tailed prairie dog emerges roughly 2–3 weeks later.

White-tailed prairie dogs are herbivorous, feeding mainly on grass, forbs, and sedges, primarily forbs.

White-tailed prairie dogs have a complex social system and live in colonies. This species uses visual signals and barks for communication. On average, each colony has 6 different "clans" or families. These families forage together for food and resources. The female white-tailed prairie dogs and their pups are sedentary, meaning they stay close to or inside the burrow, while the male seeks the food.

White-tailed prairie dog populations have decreased dramatically, and the remaining population occupies only around 8% of their original range. It is subject to population controls by humans (shooting and poisoning), and threatened by a disease called Sylvatic Plague that can infect all prairie dogs. This animal lives in small communities that are vulnerable to being wiped out by all of these issues. This species appears in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with a status of least concern, last assessed in 1996. Petitions have been made to protect the white-tailed prairie dog, but they have been denied by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service due to insufficient scientific data describing current population trends. This denial is being reconsidered, because former deputy assistant secretary Julie MacDonald has been found to have improperly influenced the scientific basis of the denial. Groups such as the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance are working to legally protect this species.

White-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys leucurus) - Dinosaur National Monument, Fossil Buttes National Monument, Southern Wyoming and other locations

The Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the United States-Canada border to the United States-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate. The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen above ground in midwinter. A black-tailed prairie dog town in Texas was reported to cover 25,000 sq mi (64,000 km2) and included 400,000,000 individuals.[3] Prior to habitat destruction, the species may have been the most abundant prairie dog in central North America. It was one of two prairie dogs described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the journals and diaries of their expedition.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are generally tan in color, with lighter-colored bellies. They may have color variation in their pelt, such as dark fur on their back in black and brown tones. Their tails have black tips, from which their name is derived. Adults can weigh from 1.5 to 3.0 lb (0.68 to 1.36 kg), males are typically heavier than females. Body length is normally from 14 to 17 in (36 to 43 cm), with a 3-to-4 in (7.6-to-10.2 cm) tail. The black-tailed have black long claws used for digging. The body of the black-tailed prairie dog is compact, and the ears are small and close to the head.

The historic range of the black-tailed prairie dog was from southern Saskatchewan and Alberta to Chihuahua, Mexico, and included portions of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. As of 2007, black-tailed prairie dogs occur across most of their historic range, excluding Arizona; however, their occupied acreage and populations are well below historic levels.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are diurnal. Above-ground activity is reduced when rain or snow is falling and during days when the temperature exceeds 100 °F (38 °C). During the winter months, black-tailed prairie dogs do not fully hibernate. They continue to leave the burrow to forage, but will enter a state of torpor at night to conserve energy. Torpor is categorized by a drop in metabolism, heart rate and respiration similar to hibernation, but is involuntary and shorter in duration. On average, black-tailed prairie dogs will lose twenty percent of their body weight during the fall and winter seasons when they go through bouts of torpor. As winter progressed, the amount of time spent in torpor increases. Between different colonies the overall time spent in torpor varies, independent of prairie dog body mass. This may be due to weather during the previous growing season. As black-tailed prairie dogs receive most of their water from their diet, in years with poor rainfall, the black-tailed prairie dogs spend more time in torpor.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are native to grassland habitats in North America. They inhabit shortgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie,sagebrush steppe, and desert grassland.

Habitat preferences for the black-tailed prairie dog are influenced by vegetative cover type, slope, soil type, and amount of rainfall. Their foraging and burrowing activities influence environmental heterogeneity, hydrology, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, landscape architecture, and plant succession in grassland habitats.

Black-tailed prairie dogs inhabit grasslands, including short- and mixed-grass prairie, sagebrush steppe, and desert grasslands. Shortgrass prairies dominated by buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), and western wheatgrass (Pascopyron smithii), and mixed-grass prairies that have been grazed by native and non-native herbivores are their preferred habitat. Slopes of 2% to 5% and vegetation heights between 3 and 5 in (7–13 cm) are optimal for detecting predators and facilitating communication.

In the Great Plains region, black-tailed prairie dog colonies commonly occur near rivers and creeks. Of 86 colonies located in Mellette County, South Dakota, 30 were located on benches or terraces adjacent to a creek or floodplain, 30 occurred in rolling hills with a slope more than 5°, 20 were in flat areas, and six were in badland areas. The slopes of playa lakes in the Texas Panhandle and surrounding regions are used as habitat for the black-tailed prairie dog. Colonies in Phillips County, Montana, were often associated with reservoirs, cattle salting grounds, and other areas affected by humans.

Black-tailed prairie dogs tolerate "high degrees" of disturbance over long periods of time. New colonies are rarely created on rangeland in "good" to "excellent" condition; however, continuously, long-term, heavily grazed land reduces habitat quality due to soil erosion. Black-tailed prairie dogs may colonize heavily grazed sites, but do not necessarily specialize in colonizing overgrazed areas. Overgrazing may occur subsequent to their colonization. Black-tailed prairie dogs were associated with areas intensively grazed by livestock and/or areas where topsoil had been disturbed by human activities in sagebrush-grassland habitat on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and Fort Belknap Agency, Montana. Roads and cattle trails were found in 150 of 154 black-tailed prairie dog colonies, and colonies were located significantly closer to livestock water developments and homestead sites than randomly located points.

Black-tailed prairie dog distribution is not limited by soil type, but by indirect effects of soil texture on moisture and vegetation. Colonies occur in many types of soil, including deep, alluvial soils with medium to fine textures, and occasionally gravel. Soil not prone to collapsing or flooding is preferred. Though they do not select specific types of soil to dig burrows, silty loam clay soils are best for tunnel construction. Surface soil textures in colonies near Fort Collins, Colorado, varied from sandy loam to sandy clay loam in the top 6 in (15 cm), with a sandy clay loam subsoil. In northern latitudes, colonies commonly occur on south aspects due to the dominance of grasses over shrubs and increased solar radiation during winter. Burrows usually occur on slopes more than 10°.

Black-tailed prairie dogs mix the soil horizons by raising soil from deeper layers to the surface. This may significantly affect the texture and composition of soil at different layers. Their feces, urine, and carcasses also affect soil characteristics.

The home range and territorial boundaries of black-tailed prairie dogs are determined by the area occupied by an individual coterie. Coteries typically occupy about 1.0 acre (0.4 ha).

Population density and growth are influenced by habitat quality [9] and are restricted by topographic barriers, soil structure, tall vegetation, and social conditions. Urbanization and other types of human development may restrict colony size and spatial distribution. Most plains habitats support at least 13 black-tailed prairie dogs/ha.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) - Wyoming, Devil’s Tower to New Mexico and Southern Arizonz

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens) is the smallest species of prairie dog, a member of the squirrel family of rodents native to the south central steppes of the US state of Utah.

The species appears in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with a status of Endangered, last assessed in 2016. Because of this it is a protected species, it faces various threats the most dangerous being habitat loss.

The fur of Utah prairie dogs is multicolored, which consists of black, brown, and dark brown at the tip. Their faces have dark brown cheeks and whitish tone of chins and mouth. Utah Prairie dogs also have distinctly clay colored proximal tail parts and dorsum, as well as dark eyebrows. In terms of taxonomy, there are two subgenera of prairie dogs: black-tailed prairie dogs and white-tailed prairie dogs. Utah prairie dogs are a member of the latter of the two groups and the subgenus Leucrossuromys. Utah prairie dogs may have been part of the interbreeding species of white-tailed prairie dogs but their differences are a result of what is known as allopatric speciation - separation of a species by physiographic and ecological barriers.

The total body length of typical adult ranges from 30.5 cm to 36.0 cm with 3 cm to 6 cm of tail. Adult prairie dogs weigh about 0.77 kg to 1.41 kg in males, and 0.64 kg to 1.13 kg in females. Utah prairie dogs show sexual dimorphism that males are 27% bigger than female, although the ratio varies by season. Their body weights can span from .3 kg to .9 kg in the spring, and .5 kg to 1.5 kg in the summer for males. In 1952, Durant noted that the Utah prairie dog has a skull larger in every aspect than that of the Gunnison's prairie dog.

Utah prairie dogs prefer swale land area with abundant herbaceous plants. They build burrows on soils with adequate drain ability, depth to protect themselves from predators, appropriately colored soil for camouflage purposes, and other environmental factors such as temperature. Utah prairie dogs are only found in the southern part of Utah - they have the most constrained range when compared to other species of prairie dogs; today they are only found in the central and southwestern part of Utah in Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, Piute, Sevier, and Wayne Counties. However, it was recorded that Utah prairie dogs existed as far north as Nephi, and south as the pine fir forests of Bryce Canyon National Park, and Aquarius Plateau to the east in 1920, but the number declined from the 1920s to 1970s by 87%, and this was thought due to human settlers who caused overgrazing of soil, thus catalyzed the invasion of shrub to the grass land.

Utah prairie dogs are mainly herbivores, but they sometimes choose small insects also, such as cicadas. and highly prefer grasses but they do consume flowers in shrubs. Utah prairie dogs choose only few species of grasses only that are native to the soil. Eating green vegetation and flowers of plants allows them to obtain large quantities of protein and energy.

Utah prairie dog shows polyandry behavior, and lays only one litter per year, which generally consists of 1 to 8 litter size. The gestation period of a female Utah prairie dog is approximately 28 days. The breeding occurs generally from mid-March through early April.

They build extensive "towns" of tunnels and chambers, each town composed of a population of members of an extended prairie dog family group called “clan”, and they forage from dawn to dusk. Prairie dogs are particularly social animals and demonstrate communal behavior.

Utah prairie dogs act as a keystone species for their ecosystem - they are responsible for enhancing landscape heterogeneity, mitigating the height of local vegetation, mixing soil by burrowing (which in turn aids in the nitrogen uptake of plants), altering the chemistry of the soil by making it more porous and allowing for precipitation and organic matter to penetrate the ground. Other animals including rabbits, badgers, ground squirrels, and burrowing owls rely on the burrows and conditions that Utah prairie dogs generate.

The species appears in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with a status of Endangered, last assessed in 2016.

The Utah prairie dog is listed as a threatened species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1920 there were approximately 95,000 Utah Prairie dogs and over the span of around 50 years, the population was decimated by an estimated 50%. Factors that contributed to this drastic reduction include diseases, increased aridity, overgrazing of habitats and habitat loss, epizootic infections, poisoning, and urban development. In 1972, studies estimated a population of 3,300 Utah prairie dogs in 37 colonies. Studies by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in spring 2004 reported 4,022 Utah prairie dogs, a number believed to reflect half of the total current population. The Utah prairie dog can do significant damage to farms by digging holes and eating crops, drawing the ire of Utah farmers, who have used poison liberally to destroy the animal. This is a major reason for the population decline, though there are other factors, such as "land development, deteriorating rangeland health, the encroachment of woody vegetation, sylvatic plague, and drought." Conservation efforts include encouraging landowners to improve the health of their rangelands, and compensating farmers who set aside areas the prairie dogs may use.

Utah Prairie Dog (Cynomys parvidens) - in and around Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah