PRAIRIE-DOG 



Cnsto and Jemez Mountains, New Mexico; west to western 

 Rio Art^h.^?"^ ^f ' v^' Counties, Colorado, and to westeS 

 R o Arriba County, New Mexico. Chiefly Transition Zone, 



Zone '' "^ (HoDfs?er) ^''°'^'' ^""^ ^°^"' P^^'^ °^ ^^^^^^^^ 

 Zuni Prairie-dog.— C3'wom3;^ gunnisoni zuniensis Hollister 

 bomewhat larger than typical gimnisoni, with larger hind 

 aJTd hl.^t^^TT^^°''^'^^°''' ^^^ cinnamon, less yellow 

 2 2 2. ?n;hJ if-^ w^^^ 15.2-15. inches; tail vertebrae, 

 Hh^'^i T- <S^ ^T^' ^-^-^-^ '^^h^s- Weight, male 

 Lstem mTv, "" Southwestern Colorado, extreme 'south: 

 nfi Ji ' i^oythwestem and west-central New Mexico 

 and north-central Arizona. North in western Colorado to 



Grande Valley to_ Espanola and east to Pecos and the 

 Manzano Mountams; south on the west side of the Rio 

 Grande Valley to Sierra and Socorro Counties, New MexS 

 west m central Arizona to Prescott and the Hualpai Indian 



t^oTzrr-^- (go'iit^ery^^^^ ^°^°^^^' ^^^ ^^- - T--^ 



******* 

 The Prairie-dog is a fat, short-tailed Ground Squirrel of 

 sociable habits. As part of the name implies, this animal is a 

 creature of the prairies and open plains, but the other par+of 

 the name is false for he is not even distantly related to the 

 Dog. 



_ As may be seen from the map, the range of this genus is 

 imited, and Prairie-dogs are found only in western North 

 America. The genus is peculiar to the New World and only 

 ;ix species and subspecies are comprised in the group 



We find early mention of these Squirrels in the journals 

 )f Lewis and Clark and other pioneer explorers. The sight of 

 he large "dog-towns", covering a great many acres in favor- 

 ible localities, so impressed the first settlers that the Prairie- 

 bg became a much-discussed feature and no geography or 

 •ccount of the West failed to mention the animal, generally 

 s part of the trinity-Prairie-dog, Rattlesnake, and Burrow- 

 ig Owl. 



Today the West is changing; ranching is breaking up the 

 irge dog-towns"; the Prairie-dogs are being exterminated 

 1 the agricultural sections; and the belief in the interesting 

 :ory of the friendships between mammal, bird, and snake is 

 Id y shaken by the discovery that the Burrowing Owl and the 

 lake feed on the young "Dogs " when they are lucky enough 

 ) catch one, and the Prairie-dog may eat a young Owl, or 

 223 



