 A high percentage of female Gunnison's prairie dogs settle close to their birth territories for their entire lifetimes, whereas a significantly low percentage of the males stay close to their birth territories for longer than one year.The life span of a Gunnison's prairie dog is generally three to five years in the wild, but they can live up to eight years of age.The population of the Gunnison's prairie dog is declining drastically due to three major factors