Scampering in the City
Scampering in the City

Author: Lauren Kristine Morse

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13:

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"The conservation of prairie dogs in the Western United States is contentious due to the embedded view that they are pests. This research addressed the ecological and social viability for prairie dog colonies in Denver, Colorado. Remote sensing analysis was applied to identify potentially viable area for urban prairie dog colonies. In order to assess the social viability of urban colonies, knowledge and attitudinal surveys were distributed to residents near existing colonies and residents near potential colonies ... While additional education and outreach is necessary in order to improve residents' attitudes towards prairie dogs, this species has the potential to be viable in Denver.".--Abstract

Conservation of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog
Conservation of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

Author: John Hoogland

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2013-04-09

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 1597268526

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The prairie dog is a colonial, keystone species of the grassland ecosystem of western North America. Myriad animals regularly visit colony-sites to feed on the grass there, to use the burrows for shelter or nesting, or to prey on the prairie dogs. Unfortunately, prairie dogs are disappearing, and the current number is only about 2% of the number encountered by Lewis and Clark in the early 1800s. Part I of Conservation of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog summarizes ecology and social behavior for pivotal issues such as when prairie dogs breed, how far they disperse, how they affect other organisms, and how much they compete with livestock. Part II documents how loss of habitat, poisoning, plague, and recreational shooting have caused the precipitous decline of prairie dog populations over the last 200 years. Part III proposes practical solutions that can ensure the long-term survival of the prairie dog and its grassland ecosystem, and also are fair to private landowners. We cannot expect farmers and ranchers to bear all the costs of conservation while the rest of us enjoy all the benefits. With 700 references, 37 tables, 75 figures and photographs, and a glossary, Conservation of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog is a unique and vital contribution for wildlife managers, politicians, environmentalists, and curious naturalists.

The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog
The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

Author: John L. Hoogland

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1995-04

Total Pages: 571

ISBN-13: 0226351181

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In The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog, John L. Hoogland draws on sixteen years of research at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, in the United States to provide this account of prairie dog social behavior. Through comparisons with more than 300 other animal species, he offers new insights into basic theory in behavioral ecology and sociobiology. Hoogland documents interactions within and among families of prairie dogs to examine the advantages and disadvantages of coloniality. By addressing such topics as male and female reproductive success, inbreeding, kin recognition, and infanticide, Hoogland offers a broad view of conflict and cooperation. Among his surprising findings is that prairie dog females sometimes suckle, and at other times kill, the offspring of close kin. Enhanced by more than 100 photographs, this book illuminates the social organization of a burrowing mammal and raises fundamental questions about current theory. As the most detailed long-term study of any social rodent, The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog will interest not only mammalogists and other vertebrate biologists, but also students of behavioral and evolutionary ecology.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys Ludovicianus) Awareness of Neighbours' Vigilance is Spatially Explicit
Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys Ludovicianus) Awareness of Neighbours' Vigilance is Spatially Explicit

Author: Elise Couillard

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Black-tailed prairie dogs, Cynomys ludovicianus, gauge neighbour vigilance through jump yipping, a contagious, multimodal display where individuals vocalize while jumping upward. Jump-yip bouts were recorded using three camcorders across 27 sites within the Dakotas to examine how instigator location and spatiotemporal pattern of conspecific response within bouts influence instigator vigilance, thereby testing whether instigator knowledge of conspecific vigilance is spatially explicit. Video files were analyzed to determine if instigators disproportionately devoted personal vigilance following jump-yip bouts toward areas of conspecific non-responsiveness over areas with conspecific response. Paired-sample tests indicated that instigators oriented vigilance toward non-responsive areas significantly more than areas of responsiveness after both current (Z = -4.74, P = 0.0001) and past jump-yip bouts (Z = 0.42, P = 0.0001). Instigators direct personal vigilance toward areas where predators may go undetected, demonstrating spatiotemporal awareness of conspecific vigilance, and thus utilizing both public and personal information to minimize predation risk.

Prairie Dogs
Prairie Dogs

Author: C. N. Slobodchikoff

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2009-02-02

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 0674031814

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The authors synthesize the results of their long-running study of Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni), one of the keystone species of the short-grass prairie ecosystem. By examining the complex factors behind prairie dog decline, we can begin to understand the problems inherent in our adversarial relationship with the natural world.