Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

Scientific Name: Cynomys ludovicianus

The largest prairie dog town ever recorded stretched for 25,096 square miles under the Texas prairie. Nearly 400 million prairie dogs lived in this town.

• Size: average 12 to 16 inches in length
• Weight: average 3 pounds
• Height: average 16.5 inches
• Diet: Leaves, stems, the occasional insect, and the roots of grasses and weeds
• Habitat: Dry, flat, or gently sloping, open grasslands with low, relatively sparse vegetation
• Range in the Wild: Extreme South Central Canada, through the United States, and into Northeastern Mexico

Conservation Status

Listed as Least Concern - they are widespread with an estimated population to be in the millions.