The refuge has been closed to the public since Wednesday after two confirmed cases of sylvatic plague -- a rare disease caused by a bacterium that can be transmitted to humans via mammals and their fleas -- were discovered in black-tailed
prairie dogs on the refuge and in other nearby areas of Adams County.
We have shown that plant species richness was slightly lower in active
prairie dog colonies than in either inactive colonies or the surrounding matrix, and there were significant differences in plant species richness between active and inactive colonies; however, the difference was small (2.4 plant species on average).
In 1988, a Forest Service
Prairie Dog Management Plan allocated 6,180 acres of Black-Tailed
Prairie Dog populations in South Dakota on national grasslands which would be habitat for the endangered Black-Footed Ferret.
Black-footed ferrets, meanwhile, are native to North America and specialize solely on
prairie dogs. They are nocturnal, and eat one
prairie dog about every three days.
If you need to take a shooting bench with you to a public range or a field full of
prairie dogs, I recommend the table Dixie Gun Worxs makes.
Varmint hunting also offers a convenient opportunity to introduce young people to the sport--particularly in locales where
prairie dogs plague local farmers and ranchers.
"We never observed a ground squirrel kill or injure an adult or juvenile
prairie dog," says study coauthor John Hoogland.
Prairie Dog Song is a gorgeous book that blends information about grasslands with music and stunning collage illustrations.
At about one year old,
prairie dogs go out on their own and find new homes in abandoned tunnels or by digging new tunnels.
Rodents were mainly captured in the mesquite scrublands (53%, S = 10, H = 1.9), followed by grasslands (37%, S = 7; H = 1.57) and
prairie dog grasslands (10%, S = 3; H = 0.85).
Washington, Dec 05 ( ANI ): A new study has suggested that mating with more than one male increases reproductive success for female
prairie dogs, despite an increase in risks.