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Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

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Page 1: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Finding the Balance

Learning about Prairie DogsInteractive Slide Show

Page 2: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Why do you think some people think about prairie dogs so much?

This is a prairie dog. It really isn’t a dog at all—it’s a small rodent related to the squirrel.

It’s only about as big as a small football, but this little animal gives people a lot to think about!

Page 3: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Part of the reason is that prairie dogs used to live in many different grassy places across the United States.

There are 5 types of prairie dogs in North America. The light and dark grey shaded area is where one type of prairie dog (the black-tailed prairie dog) used to be found. What states do you see, where black-tailed prairie dogs

once lived?

See the black on the tip of

my tail? That’s why I’m called a Black Tailed Prairie Dog!

Page 4: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Prairie dogs do lots of important things for other animals.

1. They dig burrows for living in and

hiding! Many animals use

these burrows, such as:

The black-footed ferret

The burrowing owl. Look at those long legs for peeking above the

grass!

Rattlesnakes! Be careful, little guy!

Who are these masked men?

The badger

Page 5: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Prairie dogs do lots of important things for other animals.

2. They are good for other

animals to eat! They provide tasty food for

many animals, such as:

The black-footed ferret

Rattlesnakes!

The badger

The coyote

Golden eagles and other birds of prey Anybody home?

Page 6: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Prairie dogs do lots of important things for other animals.

3. Grass growing in their towns is often

more nutritious than grass

growing without prairie

dogs.

Many bison eat prairie dog town grasses often. In fact, studies have shown that bison who eat

these nutritious grasses are more likely to have the vitamins they need to raise their

young and survive cold weather.

Page 7: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Cattle ranchers and other people became worried about prairie dogs, because they eat lots of grass and

can carry a disease that affects people, called the bubonic plague.

Why would a rancher worry about prairie dogs eating lots of grass?

Page 8: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

So, people started getting rid of prairie dogs. Sometimes it was by accident, because they would plow

the ground to help crops grow…

Prairie dogs live in burrows under the ground. Why would a plow change a prairie dog’s home?

Page 9: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

And sometimes it was on purpose, because they wanted to kill the prairie dogs so that they wouldn’t eat grass. Other times, people kill prairie dogs as a “sport”

by hunting them.

When the prairie dog is gone from an area, how do you think these other

animals might have to change their own lives? Do you think this matters to

people?

Page 10: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Because of our actions, only about 2% of the original area where prairie dogs once lived still has prairie dogs

on them. That’s 2 places out of 100.

What would 2% of all the light and dark grey areas look like?

The black-footed ferret eats ONLY prairie dogs. Today this animal is endangered,

with only a few hundred living on the entire planet. People are trying to help

this animal make a comeback in the wild. What does it need in order to make a

comeback?

Page 11: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

It’s important to learn more about how prairie dogs live and have babies, so that people, prairie dogs, and the animals depending on

prairie dogs can live together.

Now, you’ll learn more about prairie dog populations using some cool math. Work well and have fun!

Page 12: Finding the Balance Learning about Prairie Dogs Interactive Slide Show

Photo credits

NPS

FWS

FWS

BLM

DOE/ PNNL

ARS

USGS

NIH