Prairie Dogs: Small Animals with a Big Job

Prairie Dogs: Small Animals with a Big Job

1On the grasslands of North America, a small brown animal sits up on a mound of dirt and gives a sharp bark. It is a prairie dog, a kind of ground squirrel. Prairie dogs live in large groups and dig long tunnels under the ground. A group of prairie dog burrows is called a town. Some people think prairie dogs are pests. But these little diggers are important to the grassland, and they help other living things in three big ways.

2First, prairie dog burrows give homes to other animals. Burrowing owls often nest in empty burrows instead of digging their own. Rabbits, snakes and many kinds of insects also use the tunnels to hide from heat, cold and danger. Scientists have found that many kinds of animals are more common near prairie dog towns than in grassland without them.

3Second, prairie dogs are food for many hunters. Hawks and eagles swoop down from the sky to catch them. Badgers, foxes and coyotes hunt them on the ground. The black-footed ferret depends on prairie dogs most of all, because prairie dogs make up most of what it eats. When many prairie dog towns disappeared, black-footed ferrets almost disappeared too.

4Third, prairie dogs help the soil and plants. As they dig, they mix the soil and bring buried soil up to the top. Their tunnels let rainwater soak deep into the ground instead of running off. Prairie dogs also nibble the grass around their town short so they can spot hunters coming. The grass grows back fresh and tender. Bison and pronghorn often choose to graze in prairie dog towns because the new plants are full of nutrients.

5Prairie dogs may be small, but the grassland would not be the same without them. Their burrows shelter other animals, their bodies feed many hunters, and their digging and nibbling help the soil and plants. Protecting prairie dog towns helps protect the whole grassland.