Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Prairie Dogs

I love prairie dogs, but not enough to have them in my house. They have a nice collection of them at the Minnesota Zoo.

The prairie dogs (Cynomys) are small, burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. On average, these stout-bodied rodents will grow to be between 12 and 16 inches long, including the short tail.

The highly social prairie dogs live in large colonies or "towns" – collections of prairie dog families that can span hundreds of acres. Families usually consist of 1 male and 2 to 4 females living in a strict social hierarchy.









5 comments:

Holly said...

I cannot remember what the disease is that got transmitted to prairie dogs right now.....monkey pox or something. It was brought in by an exotic non-native species and spread to them.


I like them, ranchers hate them

Robin Sallie said...

I think they hate them because the doggies leave holds that the cows and sheep step in and break their legs.

Holly said...

yep,that is why, they also tear up the grass and are prolific too. I can understand why, but it does not stop me from liking them.

Robin Sallie said...

The pen they were in looked like a moon scape. The only *grass* was the hay that a keep tossed in. I bet they could clear a lawn of every thing green in a day.

But they are awful cute.

*Sarah* said...

Aw they are CUTE :D I love those photos!