Sciuridae
Cynomys ludovicianus
(black-tailed prairie dog)
Image Caption:

A prairie dog sits at a crater mound built around an entrance to its burrow.  Prairie dogs build up dirt around some of their burrow entrances to provide a higher lookout for danger, protect from flooding during heavy rains, and even improve ventilation inside a potentially deep or crowded burrow (Hoogland, 1996, p.6).

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Cynomys ludovicianus (Black-tailed Prairie Dog)
Works Cited:

Hoogland, J. L.  (1996).  Cynomys ludovicianus.  The American Society of Mammalogists Mammalian Species 535.
Image Location: United States, South Dakota, Wind Cave National Park
Image Date: 2009AUG17
Image Species: Cynomys ludovicianus
(EXIF Information is accurate – stamped in UTC).

Web Page and Pictures By Peter Leitheiser
Updated: 2009NOV02