Black-tailed Prairie Dog

Genus: Cynomys
Species: ludovicianus

Black-tailed prairie dog in Lewistown, Montana

Black-tailed prairie dogs are small rodents of the Great Plains. They are one of the keystone species of the west, because their population health impacts numerous other species.


Description:  Black-tailed prairie dogs are small rodents with a height of about 16 inches. They are tan over most of their body except for the lighter colored belly. 

The easiest way to tell the black-tailed prairie dog from other prairie dogs is to look for its namesake black tipped tail! 


Prairie dogs like to communicate with each other. They bark, yip and whistle to signal the presence of predators and other dangers.

Range:  Prairie dogs live in grasslands throughout the Great Plains. 

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