MAMMALS OF UTAH 55 



ZUNI PRAIRIE-DOG 



CYNOMYS GUNNISONI ZUNIENSIS (Hollister) 



Cynomys Ounnisoni Zuniensis — Hollister, N. A. Fauna, No. 40, 

 1916, p. 32. 



Description — Adult in fresh summer pelage: General 

 color of upperparts pale cinnamon, heavily streaked with 

 lightercinnamon-buff and blackish ; individual hairs blackish 

 at bases, then narrowly buff, then broadly cinnamon, with 

 subterminal band of buff, and tip of blackish. Nose, lips, eye 

 ring, and ears, buff; between eyes, between ears, and over 

 nape darker brown, mixed w^ith blackish ; large area of black- 

 ish brown on cheek, and a smaller, sharply marked, blackish 

 brown spot above eye; feet, limbs, and underparts pale cin- 

 namon-buff. Basal half of tail above concolor with back; 

 distal half mixed gray and white, bordered and tipped with 

 clear white. The black tips to the hairs of the back rapidly 

 wear away and the pelage becomes a uniform dull cinnamon, 

 mixed with light buff. The distinctive markings of the 

 head become more obscure. Adult in fresh full winter pe- 

 lage: General color more grayish and buff, less cinnamon, 

 than in summer, with greater admixture of blackish hairs on 

 head and more of white and gray on body. General color of 

 upper parts dark cream-buff, heavily mixed with pale buff 

 and blackish, giving a decided grizzled appearance; under- 

 fur narrowly black, then broadly whitish; the long hairs 

 with bands of black, pale cinnamon, and white, and narrow 

 tips of black. Top of head and cheeks heavily intermixed 

 with blackish, the spot over eye sometimes intense black ; 

 sides of nose, eye rings, ears, limbs and sides of body rich 

 cream-buff ; lips and throat paler ; underparts pale cinnamon. 

 Tail above mixed gray and white, with a narrow sub-border 

 of dark gray and border of clear white ; below clear pale cin- 

 namon, terminal half with faint sub-border of grayish brown 

 and border and tip of creamy white. Young examples in the 

 fresh post juvenile pelage are more vinaceous or pinkish cin- 

 namon than the corresponding pelage of C. g. gunnisoni. 

 (Hollister.) 



Distribution — Extreme southeastern Utah. 



While in the main an Upper Sonoran form, this prairie- 

 dog is generally distributed in the Transition Zone parks of 

 numerous mountain ranges. 



