The Mexican prairie dog, Cynomys mexicanus, is a diurnal burrowing rodent native to north-central Mexico, where it lives on arid grassland plains at roughly 1,600 to 2,200 metres, mainly in southern Coahuila and northern San Luis Potosí around the region known as El Tokio. It is closely related to squirrels, chipmunks and marmots and is thought to have arisen about 230,000 years ago from an isolated population of the black-tailed prairie dog. Adults weigh about a kilogram and are tan, with darker ears, a lighter belly and a black tip to the tail. The animals live in excavated colonies called towns, with burrows that can run about 30 metres, and they communicate with a sophisticated system of high-pitched yips and barks that serve as alarm calls. They are chiefly herbivores, eating grasses and forbs, and are regarded as a keystone species because their burrowing and grazing shape the soil and plants and shelter other animals such as burrowing owls and rattlesnakes. Poisoning as an agricultural pest, habitat loss and shooting have shrunk the range, and the species is listed as endangered.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 Relationship to PeopleAgricultural or Structural Pest 1 Relationship to PeopleEcotourism and Research 1 Living or Extinct Conservation Status Activity Pattern Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Cynomys, Taxa Source Mexican prairie dog (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Source Mexican prairie dog (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mexican prairie dog (Wikipedia)HabitatQuote, Habitat
They are found in the regions of southern Coahuila and northern San Luis Potosí in northern Mexico
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Mexican prairie dog (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
native to north-central Mexico
Sources
1. Animal Diversity Web: Cynomys mexicanus, Mexican prairie dog (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity WebConservation Status
being listed as endangered by the IUCN
Food Habits
Prairie dogs are herbivorous, and population growth is directly affected and limited by forage availability.
Habitat
The species is restricted to 6 large, arid grassland valleys and intermontane basins in Mexico, specifically the Mexican Plateau.
Behavior, activity
Mexican prairie dogs are diurnal, and come above ground during daylight hours, spending more than half of their lifetime in burrows.
Ecosystem Roles
Because Mexican prairie dogs are a keystone species, declining populations are resulting in a domino effect
Conservation Status, threats
Recreational shooting, modification of land for agricultural purposes, soil erosion by cattle herding, and eradication programs have all contributed to their declining numbers.
Economic Importance, pests
the reason prairie dogs are considered pests to farmers, and often poisoned.
Economic Importance, research
Prairie dogs of all species are important subjects in behavioral ecology, helping scientists understand social behavior in mammals, demography, alarm calling, and kin recognition.
Conservation Status, CITES
CITES Appendix I
View the Source Mexican prairie dog (Wikipedia)
Lead
native to north-central Mexico
Habitat
They are found in the regions of southern Coahuila and northern San Luis Potosí in northern Mexico
In Biome: Grassland, Population and distribution
These are the grasslands located in the convergence of the states of San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, and Coahuila.
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