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Black-tailed groundhog
Realm: Animal kingdom Animalia
Phylum: Phylum Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Squirrel family Sciuridae
Genus: Prairie dog cynomys
Species: C. ludovicianus
(Words, 1815)
Distribution: North America
Species Overview: Summary
Chinese name: black-tailed marmot (pinyin: hēi wěi tǔ bō shǔ);
Black-tailed prairie dog;
Scientific name: Cynomys ludovicianus.
The black-tailed marmot, also known as the black-tailed prairie dog rat, is a member of the family Squirrels that live in the Great Plains of North America. Active during the day, good at digging caves and feeding on herbs. Unlike other marmots, black-tailed marmots do not hibernate, but may be dormant for a short period of time. Black-tailed marmots live 5-8 years.
IUCN Red List: No Danger (LC)
Body length: 36-43 cm
height:
Weight: 0.68-1.4 kg
Life: 5-8 years
Food: Herbivorous
Breeding: 1-8 litters per birth
Habits: Good at digging caves
Distribution: North America
【Appearance characteristics】Description
Black-tailed marmots are 36-43 cm long, 7.6–10 cm long and weigh 0.68–1.4 kg. Black-tailed marmots are usually light brown and have a slightly lighter belly color. The tail is black, which is also the origin of the name.
Ecological Habit
The black-tailed marmot is active during the day, is good at digging burrows, and feeds on herbs. Their caves can be divided into zones according to the natural terrain, as if they were a "town". A group usually occupies about 2 hectares of land, which is a basic unit of "towns". Members of the same cluster share a specially built tunnel, and the food in the field is shared.
The black-tailed marmot maintains a "social" structure, with the inhabitants of "towns" almost evenly distributed and passed down from generation to generation. Its vitality is always exuberant, fully demonstrating the superiority of its social organization. Black-tailed marmots choose different pastures to feed at different times according to their needs, and will quickly change their eating habits during drought.
Foods include Western wheatgrass, bison grass, sedge, Russian thistle (porcine, cactus, quinoa and wormwood (artemisia). Black-tailed marmots are diurnal. Rain and snow days and activity at temperatures above 38°C decreased. They do not hibernate, but may be briefly dormant.
Growth and Breed
The black-tailed marmot is polygamous, with a mating season of 2-4 months, a gestation period of 33-38 days, and 1-8 litters per birth. The breeding age is usually 2 years, the black-tailed marmot lives 5-8 years, and the females live longer.
Geographical distribution: Distribution
Black-tailed marmots are found in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This is primarily a Great Plains species that passes through the Western and Central Great Plains of North America, from southern Saskatchewan to southern Montana in Canada (the French River Valley), western Texas, New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, the desert steppes and northeastern Sonora in the United States, and northern Mexico. While from southeastern Arizona to southwestern New Mexico, the species is extinct in many areas of the region.
Introduction to the Black-tailed Marmot
The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus), is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the USA-Canada border to the USA-Mexico border。 Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate。
The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen above ground in midwinter。 A black-tailed prairie dog town in Texas was reported to cover 64,000 km2 (25,000 sq mi) and included 400,000,000 individuals。
Prior to habitat destruction, this species may have been the most abundant prairie dog in central North America。 This species was one of two described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the journals and diaries of their expedition。