Cynomys leucurus, Merriam, 1890
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6840226 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6840698 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/064D0660-FFBE-ED43-FFC3-FDD2FC01FB31 |
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treatment provided by |
Diego |
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scientific name |
Cynomys leucurus |
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White-tailed Prairie Dog
French: Chien-de-prairie a queue blanche / German: \WeiRschwanz-Prariehund / Spanish: Perrito de la pradera de cola blanca
Taxonomy. Cynomys leucurus Merriam, 1890 View in CoL ,
“Fort Bridger, [Uinta Co.] Wyo-
ming”
USA.
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. SC Montana, W & C Wyoming, NE Utah, and W Colorado (USA).
Descriptive notes. Head-body mean 371 mm (males) and 353 mm (females), tail mean 57 mm (males) and 55 mm (females); weight mean 1-1 kg (males) and 0-92 kg (females). The White-tailed Prairie Dog has dorsal pelage of yellowish buff, frosted with black, and paler venter, which is pale cream to buff. Dark brown or black stripe is apparent above each eye and typically extends below each eye. Tail is cream to buff at base, suffused with cinnamon, and white at tip. Diploid number is 2n = 50.
Habitat. Xeric high-biomass mixed stands of grasses, forbs, and shrubs in high-elevation meadows, flats, and gently rolling hillsides.
Food and Feeding. The White-tailed Prairie Dog is an herbivore that feeds primarily on young grasses, shoots of forbs, grass seeds, cacti, bulbs, emergent woody shrubs, and other herbaceous material growing in open grasslands. It is rarely seen drinking, suggesting needs are met water from its food.
Breeding. The White-tailed Prairie Dog lives in modest burrows in which they hibernate and give birth. Mating takes place within days of emergence. Females produce one litter per year, beginning at one year of age. Males also usually mature at one year but may not breed until their second year. Young are born after gestation of 28-30 days and remain underground for c.5-5 weeks. Litters when young first appear aboveground are 1-8. Weaning is nearly complete when the juveniles first emerge from the nursery burrow, and communal nursing following their first emergence is rare. Juvenile females are philopatric and remain on or near natal areas.
Activity patterns. White-tailed Prairie Dogs are diurnal and hibernate in burrows for c.7 months. They spend spring, summer, and fall feeding in preparation for their dormancy in winter. Adults usually enter hibernation in late summer or early autumn, but juveniles remain active until October-November. Adult males usually emerge in February, with females coming aboveground 2-3 weeks later.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Colonies of White-tailed Prairie Dogs live in burrows. Burrows are complex, with multiple entrances but are less conspicuous than those of other species of Cynomys and lack mounds of soil around entrances. Burrows contain up to ten entrances and occasionally as many as 30; nests are 2-3 m deep. Colonies vary considerably in size and density. Clans are small, and individuals forage in overlapping ranges within the colony. Females within clans are usually close relatives. Larger colonies detect predators more quickly than smaller colonies, suggesting an important benefit to group living. Adult home ranges are c.1-2 ha. Amicable interactions among adults and juveniles include kissing, analand oral-sniffing, and playing. Hostile interactions among adults include fights, chases, and territorial disputes. Individuals sit on their haunches or stand upright to scan for predators. High-pitched alarm calls are given in response predators. Mustelids such as Black-footed Ferrets (Mustela nigripes) and American Badgers (Taxidea taxus), felids such as Bobcats (Lynx rufus), canids such as Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and Coyotes (Canis latrans), and raptors such as Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), are principal predators.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trend of the White-tailed Prairie Dog is declining. Habitat loss is considered a major threat because significant amounts of grassland and sagebrush steppe are being converted to agriculture. Urbanization destroys sizeable amounts of habitat. It is hunted occasionally for food, often for target practice or sport, and for pest removal because their open burrows were thought to be potential hazards to grazing animals—both of these concerns are exaggerated. It is highly susceptible to outbreaks of sylvatic (bubonic) plague, a bacterial disease introduced to North America in the early 1900s and common in ground-dwelling squirrels in the western USA.
Bibliography. Bakko & Brown (1967), Bergstrom et al. (2014), Clark (1977), Clark et al. (1971), Hoogland (1981, 2003b), Hoogland et al. (2013), Miller et al. (1996), Thorington et al. (2012).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
