The black-tailed prairie dogs in the photo above live near Bent’s New Fort, west of Lamar, Colorado, and just south of Route 50.
They were keeping watch from the top of their burrows. They might have been watching for predators, a frequent occupation for prairie dogs, but in this case they were paying attention to me, since I was sitting in my car about ten yards away.
They were making high-pitched barks. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but they were probably issuing a highly specific warning to other members of their colony, such as, “Look out! There’s a human over there, inside some big blue thing.”
Sound fanciful? Maybe, but according to those who study prairie dogs, they can communicate very detailed information. For example, their calls tell other prairie dogs not just that there is a predator nearby, but what kind of predator. They distinguish between the obvious, such as hawks and humans, but even between coyotes and domestic dogs. The behavior of other members of the colony varies depending on the type of predator spotted. There is also an “all clear” call, after which activity returns to normal.
Prairie dogs even have calls identifying things that don’t threaten them, including the color of clothing worn by humans. Researchers say this shows evidence of “highly developed cognitive abilities,” perhaps even a language.
Prairie dog burrows go down as much as ten feet below the surface and can be up to thirty feet in length, including separate rooms for sleeping and for nursing the young.
Historically, prairie dogs have been regarded as pests by ranchers, who are concerned that horses might step into prairie dog burrows and injure themselves. It has been difficult, however, to find an instance of this occurring. Farmers also dislike prairie dogs, because they clear away most of the vegetation around their burrows, damaging crops. For these reasons and because of expanding towns and cities, today 95% of historic prairie dog range is gone.
You can see evidence of prairie dog colonies as you drive on Route 50 in Colorado, not only west of Lamar but also between Pueblo and Cañon City. The giveaway is the dirt mounds surrounding burrow entrances. Since a burrow can have as many as six openings, there are plenty of these. Keep a sharp lookout, and you may see prairie dogs sitting up on top of those mounds, keeping a sharp lookout for you.