Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Torpor
Looking for the black-tailed prairie dogs? The coterie is getting ready for winter and will be spending most of their time underground as they prepare for torpor.
Diet: Their diet includes grasses, roots, seeds, and even some fruits and vegetables.
Height: Body length 36 to 43 cm with a 7.6 to 10.2 cm tail.
Weight: Adults weigh between 0.68 to 1.36 kg (1.5 to 3 lbs)
Fun Facts
- Prairie dogs are very social animals. They live in tight-knit family groups called coteries and burrow underground and build elaborate tunnel systems.
- They communicate with each other using different kinds of sounds, including barks, yips and chirps. They even have specific calls to alert others about different types of predators.
- Prairie dogs play an important role in their ecosystem. By digging their burrows, prairie dogs help aerate the soil and create spaces for other animals to live, like burrowing owls and snakes.
About Us
The Prairie Dog Habitat won the Thomas R. Baines Award for Excellence in Habitat Design and Development. This award-winning exhibit is over nine feet deep and designed to create a naturalistic environment where the prairie dogs can exhibit their natural behaviours of digging and exploring. There is also over 40 feet of glass for great viewing opportunities for visitors.
During the winter months, our black-tailed prairie dogs demonstrate their natural adaptations and hibernate once temperatures drop. Their habitat may look empty, but the the prairie dogs are sleeping away the cold winter days and will return above ground once warmer temperatures return.