Utah Prairie Dog

Taxobox
name = Utah Prairie Dog


status = LR/cd | status_system = IUCN2.3
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Rodentia
subordo = Sciuromorpha
familia = Sciuridae
genus = "Cynomys"
species = "C. parvidens"
binomial = "Cynomys parvidens"
binomial_authority = Allen, 1905
range_

range_map_caption = Utah Prairie Dog range in 1920 (ochre), 1970 (yellow) and 1991 (red)The Utah Prairie Dog ("Cynomys parvidens") is the smallest species of prairie dog, a member of the squirrel family of rodents native to the south central steppes of the US state of Utah.

Like all prairie dogs, the Utah Prairie Dog is an active forager, eating a wide array of vegetation including grasses, flowers, and seeds. They build extensive "towns" of underground tunnels and chambers, each town composed of a population of members of an extended prairie dog family. Many other species make use of their burrows, including owls, snakes, and other rodents.

Conservation status

The species appears in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with a status of lower risk/conservation dependent, last assessed in 2000 [ [http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/6090/summ 2007 IUCN Red List – Search ] ] .

The Utah Prairie Dog is listed as a threatened species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It was once listed as an endangered species. In 1972, studies estimated a population of 3,300 Utah Prairie Dogs in 37 colonies. Studies by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in Spring 2004 reported 4,022 Utah Prairie Dogs, a number believed to reflect half of the total current population. [ [http://www.r6.fws.gov/species/mammals/utprairiedog/ US Fish and Wildlife Service: Utah Prairie Dog] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.canedellaprateria.com/indexeng.html Prairie dogs videos (in English)]