Black-tailed Prairie Dog

Great Plains · rodents · social animals · underground cities

Massive Underground Towns. Black-tailed prairie dogs live in huge communities called towns that can stretch across thousands of square miles. One Texas town was so enormous it covered 25,000 square miles and held around 400 million prairie dogs living together.

Winter Warriors. Unlike many other prairie dogs, black-tailed prairie dogs don't truly hibernate when winter arrives. You can spot them above ground even in the middle of freezing winter, searching for food and staying active.

Spanning the Great Plains. Black-tailed prairie dogs live across the Great Plains of North America, stretching from the border with Canada all the way down to the border with Mexico. Before humans destroyed much of their habitat, they were probably the most common prairie dog in central North America.

Famous Explorers' Discovery. When Lewis and Clark explored the American wilderness in the 1800s, black-tailed prairie dogs were so notable they wrote about them in their expedition journals and diaries. These animals helped early explorers understand the incredible wildlife of the Great Plains.

True Rodent Relatives. Black-tailed prairie dogs belong to the squirrel family, which might surprise you since they don't look or act like typical squirrels. They're actually ground squirrels that adapted to live in burrows instead of trees.