White-tailed Prairie Dog

Guess who's awake! I went for a walk at Hutton Lake NWR outside of Laramie, and it wasn't long before I was being scolded by a white-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys leucurus.   I'm betting that the fellow in the following photo is a male since males are known to emerge from hibernation a few weeks before the females.  They go to sleep earlier than either females or juveniles--as early as mid-August!--so it is no wonder that they are ready to get on with spring.

These are high-altitude prairie dogs, generally living in open sagebrush country above 5000 feet.  They are much less widespread than the non-hibernating black-tailed prairie dogs that live in lower, shorter-grass areas.  White-tailed prairie dogs only inhabit anywhere from about 2 to 8% of their former range due to habitat loss, eradication by poisoning and shooting, and disease.  Even so, they have been denied federal protection by law, so it was nice to see a substantial colony of burrows on the somewhat protected land of the national wildlife refuge. 

Prairie dogs are a key species for sagebrush habitat.  They aerate the soil to encourage plant growth and water absorbtion and provide food for numerous other species like raptors, badgers, foxes and the endangered black-footed ferret.  Prairie dog holes can become homes for other animals like burrowing owls, which I would love to see someday. 

I think the little plaguey beasties are super cute regardless of their ecological niche.  Look at the following photo that was taken last summer within Laramie's city limits.  How cool is it to have prairie dog towns in town?  How could you want to poison that little guy?