Gunnison's Prairie Dog
Cynomys gunnisoni
Summary 4
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.
Description 5
"In the spring, when Gunnison's prairie dogs emerge from hibernation, they eat new, green plants. Later in the summer, as plants begin to turn brown and dry out, they concentrate on flowers and seeds. Their colonies are made up of clans, each with an adult male, several females, and their young. A clan has its own burrows and feeding sites. When population density is low, clan territories have little overlap and territorial defense is not a high priority. When there are as many as 60 prairie dogs per hectare, territories are aggressively defended, with all members of a clan, young and old, actively participating."
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
Sources and Credits
- (c) Andrew Hollander, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/99408102@N00/3596326152
- (c) Mitch Chapman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Mitch Chapman
- (c) Greg Lasley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Lasley
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynomys_gunnisoni
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/16146828
