By: Gabriella

 Physical Characteristics  The black tailed prairie dog is inches.  The black tailed prairie dog weighs 1-3 pounds.  The black tailed prairie dog is brown.

 Lifespan  The black tailed prairie dog lives 3-5 years in the wild.  The black tailed prairie dog lives for 8 years in captivity.

 Eating Habits/Diet  The black tailed prairie dog is an omnivore. This means that the black tailed prairie dog eats both plants and meat.  The black tailed prairie dog eats grasses, sedges, forbs, roots, seeds, and some insects.

 Population  There are million black tailed prairie dogs left in the United States.  There used to be 1 billion.

 Habitat/Range  Black tailed prairie dogs live in deserts and prairies.  Some of these live in Southern Canada, Northern Mexico, and Arizona.

 Adaptations  Black tailed prairie dogs use their teeth to chew on plants and insects.  Black tailed prairie dogs use their fur to camouflage.  Black tailed prairie dogs use their sharp claws for digging burrows.

 Fun facts  Black tailed prairie dogs do NOT hibernate in the winter.  Black tailed prairie dogs are very social.  Black tailed prairie dogs live in knit family groups called “celeries”.

 Endangered Because  Black tailed prairie dogs are endangered because of habitat destruction, poisoning, people shooting, and an exotic disease.

 Reference  Defenders of the Wild 