2-8-2017 CENTRAL PARK, BUDAPEST - BLACK TAILED PRAIRIE DOG (Cynomys ludovicianus)

The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus ) is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the United States-Canada border to the United States-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate. The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen above ground in midwinter. A black-tailed prairie dog town in Texas was reported to cover 25,000 sq mi (64,000 km2) and included 400,000,000 individuals. Prior to habitat destruction, the species may have been the most abundant prairie dog in central North America. It was one of two prairie dogs described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the journals and diaries of their expedition.

Prairie dogs are named for the dog-like yip they make. In fact, they are fairly big, stout, ground-dwelling squirrels. Black-tailed prairie dogs are generally pinkish-brown to tan on their upperparts and buff to whitish on their lower parts. Their name comes from the distinctive black tip on their short tail. The color of their coat varies slightly as the seasons change, their body hair tipped with black in winter and white in summer. There are no other significant characteristics that separate the genders, although males are usually heavier than females.

Black-tailed prairie dogs occur in the extreme south of central Canada, throughout the United States, and in north-eastern Mexico. They inhabit a fairly limited range of open, arid, level, short-grass prairies. They are often found near river flats and in coulee bottomlands where greasewood, sagebrush, and prickly pear grow. These animals never inhabit moist areas.