FOREST AND RANGE RESOURCES OP UTAH 55 



ing, the ground squirrels of Utah make their appearance during 

 March in the valley areas and early in May or in June in more 

 elevated situations. Naturally enough, those that went into hiber- 

 nation earliest during the previous season are first to appear in the 

 spring, the males preceding the females by a few days or perhaps 

 by more than a week. The young of the previous year begin to 

 appear somewhat later. This circumstance is of much importance 

 when one considers control measures, for if bait is placed as soon 

 as the first squirrels appear the effort will have to be repeated when 

 the whole family emerges. 



Not only is vast damage done to crops in the cultivated areas each 

 year by the squirrels, but the forest range is injured through the 

 consumption of grass on the higher areas in the spring, and on the 

 lower slopes as the dry season comes on. In addition to the destruc- 

 tion of the green succulent growth, the animal's particular love 

 for seeds results in great damage to grasses that would otherwise 

 produce a seed crop. Then, too, during ]the growing period the 

 squirrel finds something toothsome in the joints of various grasses 

 and cereal plants. They hibernate during August or early Sep- 

 tember. 



The ravages caused by a colony of these spermophiles in a growing 

 field produces the appearance of an area visited by a hailstorm. 

 Data are not complete as to the amount of forage consumed by G . 

 armatus or G. mollis within a season. Yet it is not unreasonable to 

 assume that in Utah alone these rodents take a yearly total amount- 

 ing to hundreds of thousands of dollars. 



PKAIKIE DOGS 



Prairie dogs (Gynomys) are not dogs but typical rodents, first 

 cousins to the ground squirrels or spermophiles. As a rule they 

 may be distinguished from the ground squirrels by their larger size, 

 proportionately shorter and heavier bodies, and shorter tails. In 

 length they vary from 14 to over IT inches, and in weight from V/ 2 

 to over 3 pounds. 



Three species of prairie dogs are found in Utah : The black-tailed 

 (Gynomys parvidens) of the south-central counties, the white-tailed 

 (C. leucurus) of the eastern and northeastern sections, and the Zuni 

 prairie dog (G. zuniensis) of the southeastern corner of San Juan 

 County. The Zuni prairie dog in San Juan County has the peculiar 

 ability to detect and reject strychnine in the free state, while the 

 other two species readily accept the same bait. In contrast to the 

 general habits of prairie dogs, the white-tailed species in Utah have 

 adopted the habit of not living in a colony, but of seeking shelter 

 among the sagebrush, where they burrow and construct their charac- 

 teristic mounds. In poisoning large areas in eastern Utah during the 

 summer of 1927, it was particularly noted that this species disregarded 

 the colonization habit usually so characteristic of prairie dogs. 



Unlike the ground squirrel, the prairie dog does not hibernate for 

 any length of time, and one may drive through any of the dog towns 

 of the State during various seasons of the year with full assurance 

 of seeing the usual sentinels perched on guard ready to give timely 

 warning. Litters of from four to six are born early in Slarch, and 



