the dogs of reminding lutes, smaller barking at the yap, helped the North American prairie-dogs to its name. These Erdhörnchen take a means-position with its stunted cheek-bags between the (with well-trained cheek-bags equipped) relatives gophers and it also used, but bake-bag-draws lots marmots in one.
Shape, types Also the shape of a prairie-dog lets itself classify approximately in the middle between the slim gophers and the clumsier built marmots.
5 types of the prairie-dogs, who differ however externally only little, after newest examinations let themselves separate of each other. 2 types, the black-tail - or ordinary prairie-dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) and the Mexican prairie-dog (C). mexicanus, shows a black tail-top, while that is marked remaining 3 types by a white tail-top. It is this the white-tail-prairie-dog (C). leucurus, the rock-mountain-prairie-dog, C. gunnisoni, and the Utah-prairie-dog (C). parvidens. Prairie-dogs become 30-35 cm long and reach only the half of the length of our native marmot consequently. The well hairy, almost bushy tail is quite short with 3 to at most 10 cm. A long tail also would be in the way for an underground active croissant. The weight amounts between 800 and 1400 g. As it is to be expected eager Scharrern and Wühlern with such, efficient claws are trained at the fingers, particularly at the thumb.
The coloring is inconspicuous. This yellow - until reddish-brown, with weak black and gray durchmischte blankets offers the animals good camouflage amid the loose-dug earth. Unterseits is the fur somewhat more brightly colored.
Way of life Prairie-dogs live sociably in large colonies, the "villages" or "prairie-dog-cities." The individual holes lie densely together and are easy from outside to recognize the in-holes of surrounding Ringwällen by this. These, out of the cast earth with big diligence produced and with the head of pressed down, flat "round-castles", is its inhabitants in two sorts of sense useful: To the one, they prevent the penetration of rainwater in the construction and to the andern, they grant a good panorama as lookout. Possible plants are bitten off, that hinder the view.
Apartment The expansion of the construction, according to the local conditions, is properly different. A vertical tube of 15 cm of diameter leads 3-5 m into the depth at first in order to then branch into several side-walks. Here below, the animals position also its grass-nests. Approximately 1 m below the in-slip dig a lateral bulge the prairie-dog. Here it first does stopover with danger, complains from sure place from the construction out and retreats more deeply only with really serious threat.
Occasionally, rattlesnakes and earth or prairie-owls (type Speotyto) move in. That however, the prairie-dog with these invaders dies an undisturbed, peaceful multiple resident apartment, is doubtful. Outside, it is pursued by both types of animal. Another, however meanwhile very rarely become enemy is the black-foot-polecat (Mustela nigripes).
Social-behavior The "warning-system" is generally known in a prairie-dog-village. Always some found out animals sit on its earthwork and secure, in the typical upright position with the hanging front-paws, the surroundings. If danger is in the delay, the stations let barking immediately heard for she, and all Erdhörnchen, that are outside the building site, immediately are as vanished a spook.
The whole village is composed from many families. Within a family, that from a male, one until several females and the boy of the last two years passes, a strict hierarchy prevails. Disputes between neighboring families, that rarely occur, however, are delivered between the males. Usually prairie-dogs live among each other very peacefully and frequently touch itself amicably with the muzzle after the observations of Smith in Kansas and dress up even mutual.
Nutrition The food consists of herbs and grass of the prairie. Earlier, as the animals still populated its home in large masses, they became damaging also on livestock-pastures and pursue by the farmers with gun, gas and poison.
Reproduction After a Tragzeit of 33-37 days, it was born 2-10 kids. The babies open the eyes only after approximately 35 days and are disaccustomed after 7 weeks. Prairie-dogs become sexually mature and approximately 8 years old with 3 years.
Endangering As the white man advanced in North America westward on and on and finally built the big railroad-routes through the prairie crosswise, there were still gigantic prairie-dog-cities with millions of inhabitants. Occasionally, the railroad led right through a "city" through. Today, the continuances declined through the strong prosecution and the annihilation of large parts of the prairie very strongly. The Mexican prairie-dog (Cynomys mexicanus) only lives in a retreat-area of approximately 800 km2. Also the Utah-prairie-dog (C). parvidens, is rare and endangers.
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