Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, Cynomys ludovicianus, live in a small colony inside Caprock Canyons State Park near Quitaque, Texas.
They share this park with people and buffalo. You can see in this image, they like to eat grass.
In this image, you can see the black tip of the tail for which this species is named.
Prairie dogs live in burrows. At the surface they will build conical or crater-like mounds that rise above the surrounding plain. This helps keep water out of their burrow. It also provides an elevated site for watching for predators that may be looking for an easy meal of unsuspecting prairie dog.
When they are far from their home burrow and the warning bark sounds, you can see them scamper for safety.
Prairie dogs eat some kinds of plants besides grass. They also trim and remove plants that get too tall and obstruct their vision or give hiding places for predators. This image shows a prairie dog engaged in pruning.
Sometimes, the ground is wet and soft and the prairie dogs will dig for plant roots to eat. This little fellow has been busy in the muddy ground looking for treats.
This image was taken in February and shows that late winter in the Texas panhandle provides dry grass for hungry prairie dogs. Poor fare, indeed.
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