What is a black-tailed prairie dog?
Black-tailed prairie dogs are not “dogs” at all but burrowing, herbivorous animals who belong to the squirrel family. Although there are other species of prairie dogs (white-tailed, Utah, Gunnison’s and Mexican), black-tailed prairie dogs are distinct in their appearance and habitat. Black-tailed prairie dogs tend to be somewhat larger than the other species and have a longer tail with a black tip. Although all prairie dogs live on western North American grasslands, black-tailed prairie dogs occupy short- and mixed-grass prairies in a belt that runs north-south along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountain range (from northern Canada to southern Mexico).
