262 Cynomys leucurusnatural history: C. leucurus is diurnal, and it hibernates
in burrows during lengthy winters that last up to seven
months. Adult males usually emerge in February, with fe-
males coming aboveground two to three weeks later. Adults
usually enter hibernation in late summer or early fall, but
juveniles remain active into October or November. Mating
takes place within days after emergence. Females produce
one litter per year, beginning at 1 year of age; males also
mature at 1 year, but they may delay copulations until their
second year of life. The young are born after a gestation of
28–30 days and remain underground for about 5.5 weeks.
Litter size when juveniles fi rst appear aboveground from
the nursery burrow is most commonly four or fi ve (range =
1–8). Weaning is nearly complete when the juveniles fi rst
emerge from the nursery burrow, and communal nursing
following their fi rst emergence is rare. Annual survivorship
of adult males ranges from 12 to 56 percent; for adult fe-
males, from 21 to 62 percent; and for juveniles, from 5 to 39
percent. Both males and females live as long as 5 years and
possibly longer, but no study has followed marked individu-
als beyond 5 years. Survivorship in the fi rst year after emer-
gence from the nursery burrow is usually only about 50
percent for both sexes. Juvenile females are philopatric and
remain on or near their natal area.
White-tailed prairie dogs are less social than black-tailed
prairie dogs (C. ludovicianus), but their levels of coloniality
and sociality are equivalent to those in Utah prairie dogs (C.
parvidens) and Gunnison’s prairie dogs (C. gunnisoni). Bur-
rows can be recognized by a ring of excavated soil around
the entrance; however, these rings are less conspicuous in
C. leucurus burrows than in those of the other species. Bur-
rows are often complex—up to 10 entrances are common,
and occasionally approach 30—and those that are 2–3 m
deep may contain a nest. Colonies vary considerably in size
and density. C. leucurus clans are small, and individuals for-
age in overlapping ranges within the colony. Females within
clans are usually close relatives. Larger colonies do detect
predators more quickly than smaller colonies, which sug-
gests an important benefi t to aggregations. Adult home
ranges are about 1–2 ha in size. Amicable interactions among
adults and juveniles include kissing, sniffi ng anal and oral
glands, and playing; hostile interactions among adults of all
species include fi ghts, chases, and territorial disputes.
C. leucurus feeds on grasses, forbs, fl owers, and seeds.
Individuals sit on their haunches or stand upright on two
feet to scan for predators. Alarm calls are given in response
to mustelids, felids, canids, and raptors, which are this
species’ principal predators. Colonies of white-tailed prai-
rie dogs appear to increase biodiversity. The rediscovery
of the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)—believed to be
extinct—near Meteetsee, Wyoming (USA), occurred on a
white-tailed prairie dog town. Historically, white-tailed
prairie dogs were hunted for food; they were often (and still
a re) a lso used for ta rget pract ice or spor t. A s a potent ia l pest,
white-tailed prairie dogs were frequently poisoned in the
1900s in an attempt to reduce their presumed competition
for forage with for-profi t grazing of livestock. Like the other
species of prairie dogs, white-tailed prairie dogs are highly
susceptible to sylvatic (bubonic) plague, which is transmit-
ted via fl eas.
general references: Bakko and Brown 1967; T. W.
Clark 1977; T. W. Clark et al. 1971; Hoogland 1981, 2003b; B.
Miller et al. 1996.Cynomys leucurus. Photo courtesy Robert Shantz.