PRARIE DOG COMPANION
Brynn
Cummings
Species:
Prairie Dog - Cynomys ludovicianus
Status:
Threatened
 |
| http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/prairie-dog/ |
Prairie dogs are members of the Sciuridae family along with other rodents
such as squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots. There are five other species of
prairie dogs and all are native to North America. Of two subgenera of prairie
dog (white-tailed and black-tailed), Utah prairie dogs are part of the
white-tailed group. The Utah prairie dog’s color is cinnamon to
dark buffy cinnamon mixed with small amounts of buff or blackish hairs. Prairie dogs live in
underground burrows, extensive warrens of tunnels and chambers marked by many
mounds of packed earth at their surface entrances. Burrows have defined
nurseries, sleeping quarters, and even toilets (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com)!
Geographic
and Population changes:
Genetic variance within Utah prairie dog populations is very
low – less than half than what is commonly observed for black tailed prairie dogs.
This may be the result of genetic drift in small populations (www.fws.gov).
Cause of
Listing and Main Threats to Continued Existence:
· Habitat loss and fragmentation
 |
| http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/prairie-dog/ |
· Plague
· Changing climatic conditions
· Unauthorized take
· Disturbance from recreational and economic land
uses (www.fws.gov)
Utah prairie dogs
prefer swale-type formations where moist herbaceous vegetation is available
even during drought periods. They like to eat grasses and forbs during all
seasons, and seem to select specific food groups based on plant type, not just
availability. For this reason, vegetation quality and quantity are important in
helping Utah prairie dogs survive hibernation, lactation, and other high
nutrient demand times (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com). Plant species
richness is correlated with increased weight gain, higher juvenile to adult ratios,
and higher animal densities. Utah prairie dogs will avoid areas where brushy
species dominate, and will eventually decline or disappear in areas invaded by (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com).
Open habitats are important for foraging, visual surveillance to escape
predators, and intraspecific interactions. Well-drained, deep soils are needed
for burrowing. Burrows provide the prairie dog with protection from predators
and insulation from environmental extremes. Soil color may aid in disguising
prairie dogs from surface predators and thus may be an added survival factor (www.fws.gov).
Recovery Plan:
 |
| http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/prairie-dog/ |
The recovery of
Utah prairie dogs will rely on effective conservation responses to the issues
facing the species, which remain varied and complex. These issues include
plague, urban expansion, overgrazing, cultivated agriculture, vegetation
community changes, invasive plants, off-highway vehicle and recreation uses,
climate change, energy resource exploration and development, fire management,
poaching, and predation (www.fws.gov). Strategically, these issues can be reduced to two
overriding concerns: loss and fragmentation of habitat, and plague. Our
recovery strategy for the Utah prairie dog focuses on the need to address
habitat loss and fragmentation and disease through a program that encompasses
threats abatement, population management, research, and monitoring. We
emphasize conserving extant colonies, many of which occur on non-Federal lands;
establishing additional colonies on Federal and non-Federal lands via habitat
improvement or translocations; controlling the transmission of plague; and
monitoring habitat conditions(www.fws.gov).
More Info:
No comments:
Post a Comment