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BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS 2 444 MEANING CLUSTERS Speed learning format by Carl Peterson Copyright 2005. Foraging rids the towns of grass. Prairie dogs spot approaching danger. Flowering plants grow fast. They begin to take the grasses place. The prairie dog varies its diet. It avoids overeating one type of plant. This behavior rotates the crops. If balance holds the community lives. Climatic changes may upset the balance.

INDEX Animal Phrases 6 1. Black Tailed Prairie Dogs 2 444 2. Black-tailed Prairie Dog 4 333 3. Black-tailed Prairie Dog 5 333 4. Black-tailed Prairie Dog 6 333 5. Black Tailed Prairie Dogs 3 444 Prairie dogs may abandon a town. When plant life recovers they may move back. Prairie dogs store body fat. It helps them through fall and winter months. Black-tailed prairie dogs do not hibernate. They remain underground in harsh weather. They surface again in milder conditions. Mating occurs from March to April. Females give birth to one to six young. Pups are born blind and hairless.

BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS 4 Meaning Clusters Prairie dogs build large stores of body fat to help them through fall and winter months. Black-tailed prairie dogs do not hibernate. In harsh weather they may remain underground but they surface again in milder conditions. Mating occurs from March to early April. After a month-long gestation, the female gives birth to a litter of one to six young. Pups are born blind and hairless. They stay in the burrow for about six weeks until they develop fully. Mothers protect their young when they come out of the burrow. When the pups begin to forage for themselves they become working members of the town. Most prairie dogs live five to seven years. often within a single coterie

MEMORY TRIGGERS body fat____________________________ ___________________________________ prairie dogs_________________________ ___________________________________ weather____________________________ ___________________________________ Mating_____________________________ ___________________________________ gestation____________________________ ___________________________________ Pups_______________________________ ___________________________________ six weeks___________________________ ___________________________________ Mothers____________________________ ___________________________________ forage______________________________ ___________________________________ Text from National Park Service Speed Edited format by Carl Peterson ©2005

BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS 5 Meaning Clusters Many animals hunt prairie dogs. Coyotes and foxes, golden eagles and hawks rattlesnakes and bullsnakes all feed on them. Prairie dogs rely on their eyes and ears to avoid predators. From atop the burrow mound, they look and listen for danger. When a prairie dog spots an enemy it warns the town, dives into its burrow, and emerges to give an “all clear” call when the threat has passed. Town populations vary depending on the number of predators, weather changes, availability of food and outbreaks of disease. If predators fail to eat enough prairie dogs a population “boom” greatly increases their numbers. Although the “boom” turns to “bust” when overcrowding leads to disease and starvation. Nature finds ways of balancing an ever changing world.

MEMORY TRIGGERS animals_____________________________ ___________________________________ Coyotes____________________________ ___________________________________ ears________________________________ ___________________________________ burrow mound______________________ ___________________________________ “all clear”__________________________ ___________________________________ populations_________________________ ___________________________________ predators___________________________ ___________________________________ “boom”____________________________ ___________________________________ overcrowding_______________________ ___________________________________ Text from National Park Service Speed Learning format by Carl Peterson ©2005

BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS 6 Meaning Clusters Prairie dog towns once stretched for miles across the open plains. In 1901, a single Texas “dog town” covered an area of 25,000 square miles with 400,000,000 residents. Most ranchers convinced themselves that prairie dogs destroy rangeland and compete with cattle for food. They refused to accept that poor livestock management and elimination of prairie dog predators added to the problem. Poisoning programs almost wiped out the prairie dog and many of its predators, including the black-footed ferret. Ferret populations have recently risen through captive breeding. Today, scattered populations of prairie dogs are found mostly in protected areas such as state and national parks, monuments and grasslands, and wildlife refuges.

MEMORY TRIGGERS Prairie_____________________________ ___________________________________ “dog town”_________________________ ___________________________________ ranchers____________________________ ___________________________________ rangeland___________________________ ___________________________________ elimination_________________________ ___________________________________ Poisoning___________________________ ___________________________________ Ferret___________________________ ___________________________________ protected___________________________ ___________________________________ Text from National Park Service Speed Learning format by Carl Peterson ©2005

BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS 3 444 MEANING CLUSTERS Speed learning format by Carl Peterson Copyright 2005. They develop fully in about six weeks Prairie dogs live five to seven years. Most remain in a single coterie. Many animals hunt prairie dogs. Coyotes and foxes feed on them. Raptors and snakes hunt them as well. Prairie dogs rely on their eyes and ears. They look and listen from the burrow mound. A lookouts warn the town of threats. They call “all clear” when the threat passes. Population depends on many factors.

Without predators their numbers increase. Overcrowding leads to disease and starvation. Nature balances an ever changing world. Prairie dog towns once stretched for miles. Poisoning programs almost wiped them out. They also threatened the black-footed ferret. Ferret populations rose through captive breeding.