6 Things About Prairie Dogs

6 Things About Prairie Dogs

Architects

Prairie dogs have unrivalled burrow structures for their homes. They consist of elaborate tunnels and designated 'chambers' for nursing, sleep and toileting alongside multiple openings for entrance/exit. They don't necessarily need a selected sentinel, unlike meerkats, as they have lots in number.

Burrows have listening posts close to the surface openings to determine predator presence/movements or harsh weather conditions above, where the underground provides cover and temperature insulation. Because they can live hundreds of metres over sea level, the temperature can vary from -40 to 40 degrees celsius in winter/summer, where blizzards, hailstorms and droughts aren't exactly unexpected.

Behaviour can counteract temperature, however, since more nesting material gets used in winter; for summer, burrow openings can get built at a more horizontal angle, as a cone-shaped dirt mound to better direct airflow through their tunnels for ventilation. They can appear elevated more than others, so there is less wind friction due to the ground comparatively to lower ones.

Environmental Helpers

Prairie dogs are a 'keystone' species with vital roles for ecosystem functioning. The churning up of tunnels aerates soil, which reverses the compaction from grazing and promotes water absorption; moreover, their faeces are high in nitrogen for fertilisation, nutrient rejuvenation and vegetation quality.

As predominant herbivores, they trim through overgrown grasses, weeds and tall plants plus shrubs. It improves prey vision to spot predators earlier, helps grassland birds search for insects while granting more room for higher nutritional grass/plant options and biodiversity, which is valuable for themselves as well as other grazers such as sheep.

Their burrows seem to appeal to other small species too. Burrowing owls, for example, can settle into abandoned homes for refuge/nesting, whereas spiders and other critters join regardless of the prairie dogs.

Although, with anthropogenic interferences, their ecological principles are unguaranteed. Overwhelming road noises could be a perceivable hazard like a constant weather storm or a colossal group of predators. Unless they can somehow drown out the noise as ambience, their aboveground activity is disturbed due to needing to balance foraging and predation risk (where the noise may not be worth the risk, even though there's likely no real threat).

Population

Unfortunately, 95%+ of prairie dogs have declined mainly due to the destruction of their natural environments for homesteading and urbanisation. Now they are shot for intruding on farms, some unknowingly, despite having less space for burrows.

Consequently, the more afflicted families with the most resource limitation may be more inclined to resort to infanticide and cannibalism to eliminate competition.

Furthermore, females can only be in oestrus for one hour per year around february/march time - where males could also kill each other. It is even less time than pandas (could be a little lower than 20 hours a year), except being more energetic and less solitary.

Language?

Prairie dogs have regular intraspecific communication - almost like a highly cognitive language. Just one bark or chirp apparently conveys extensive messages, being more sophisticated at conversing than dolphins/chimpanzees, the second/third most intelligent species.

Some vaguer examples include: territorial warning (may sound like quick laughs "heeheehee" - '"this is my space, I'll defend it"), generic alarm call for vigilance (sharp, slower "eek"s), warning cry/bark (could be like a squeaky dog toy, fast "chee"s, may send everyone scrambling away to their burrows at up to 35mph).

In particular, for predator identification, they articulate specified appearance-describing vocalisations to each other, akin to strings of 'code' or combinations of 'words' to form a 'sentence'. They alter vocalisations accordingly, with subtle variations in pitch, length between intervals and total duration e.t.c. for more detail.

Perhaps faster intervals could, at least, intertwine with faster predator speed to establish a greater sense of urgency to run or be aware? Still, esoteric vocalisations probably only occur assuming they have the time to process the information using their acute long-sightedness and don't get ambushed at close-range. They are not the best at actually stopping a predator invasion, and burrows can get stolen by other species.

Prairie dogs differentiate predator size/figure, shapes, colours, speed, direction, or if something isn't a true predator (they can even discern a domestic dog from a coyote). For instance, "short round human in blue coming gradually towards". They cater similar noise sequences towards similar appearances consistently, with corresponding responses. For a bird of prey, the prairie dogs inside its flight path flee, whilst the ones outside remain static and vigilant; yet, for ones that can visually identify or have experienced a gun-wielding human before, they can attempt to escape instantly before any shots.

'Jump-yip'

Also known as a "yahoo" or "yippie", prairie dogs stand up on their strong hindlimbs, with the forelimbs straight out, head up to the sky and squeak at the same time. The action seems like a versatile form of asserting something, though becoming particularised with vocal distinctions, such as a harsher tone for conspecific confrontation.

'Jump-yips' appear contagious to others that copy - it can occur for hundreds of them. It could be an adaptation for environmental observation, maximising vision field and clearness of surroundings with greater height along with numbers.

Selfish herding is a little alike, except there is no physical bulk/mass for defence - yet they still give predators a run for their money - concerning their braveness, rodent incisor bites and sharp claws. A female can fight too, but will signal for the local male if outmatched.

In captivity, they seem content using it to greet humans (assumably more so with the 'good' humans), if excited/anticipative, as a 'thank you' for something or maybe all at once.

Sociality

Prairie dogs can either be super friendly or pretty hostile. They are most often agonistic regarding territory, where they do a security check 'greet-kiss'/nuzzle, noses touch, and teeth interlock to detect if the other individual is a family member or close neighbour. Foreign intruders could get fought with, but they usually attempt to chase them off. They can also be territorial of; or kill other small herbivores competing, including squirrels.

At clashing territory edges where technically both own the area, they tend to have stand-offs of dominance for the overlap - it's not the land; it's the principle! You can expect feint attack tests, teeth chattering, growls/snarls, tail flaring, biting, clawing, and perineal gland smelling. The decided winner gets the overlap, and both return to each's side.

When otherwise friendly, prairie dogs are really cooperative, especially families. Families/coteries have the closest relationships, typically of one male (or with other submissive ones), a couple/few females and offspring. Coteries form wards which form towns/colonies, like a neighbourhood with hundreds of residents.

To prevent overcrowding in their burrows during breeding season, non-breeding adults and developed young leave to construct a new burrow or fight with other coteries to drive them out or force acceptance. These prairie dogs actually make brief returns sometimes.

If they can break the 'ice', closer neighbours may share food, allogroom, play and guard each others' burrows to fend off less familiar ones or alert for predators. Entire towns are more cooperative involving alerts for an external danger source; but more competitive when there is less engagement - like rival football clubs coming together to support a country.

Why start an alarm call if it draws attention? Possibly to share knowledge/awareness in numbers for the survival of offspring, which sounds altruistic. Alternatively, uncertain false alarms occur if a friendly human or a non-identified silhouette gets seen moving. Genuine alarms conceivably last longer, with more joining in too.