Prairie Dogs: The Engineers of the Natural World

For many, prairie dogs are pests that are to be driven away. But for scientists, these creatures are worthy of praise and recognition. With their tiny paws, they shape the landscape in which they live.

Prairie dogs are not big and charismatic like bison, grizzly bears or pandas, but they are just as important and perhaps even more controversial. The cause for their controversy is the same reason that they are so important: these burrowing rodents make a unique and significant impact on the prairie landscape.

Prairie dogs live in huge colonies composed of countless small family groups, called coteries. They are prolific diggers, constructing complex burrow systems with specific areas for sleeping, nursing young, storing food and even disposing of their dead. A single colony’s burrow system can cover thousands of acres, with an average of about 20 prairie dogs per acre in the summer after the young emerge. That’s why these burrow systems are sometimes called prairie dog towns.

And these burrow systems not only house prairie dogs, but also other animals such as black-footed ferrets (which eat prairie dogs), and animals that can’t dig on their own such as rabbits, salamanders, and rattlesnakes.

Know more details about these little creatures and the reason why they’re essential to the environment over at Smithsonian Magazine.