1. By: Gabriella

2.  Physical Characteristics  The black tailed prairie dog is 12-15 inches.  The black tailed prairie dog weighs 1-3 pounds.  The black tailed prairie dog is brown.

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

4.  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.

5.  Population  There are 10-20 million black tailed prairie dogs left in the United States.  There used to be 1 billion.

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

7.  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.

8.  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”.

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

10.  Reference  Defenders of the Wild. 2012.  www.defenders.org www.defenders.org