Prairie Dog, Mexican
Genus	Cynomys
Species	mexicanus
Status	Endangered
Habitat	Grasslands, plains
Distribution	Mexico
Height	11-13 inches (28-33 cm)
Weight	2-3 pounds (about 1 kg)
Behavior	Prairie dogs live in "towns," where hundreds of the little animals feed on grass around their burrows, or tunnels. Colonies of related prairie dogs live next to one another. A typical colony consists of several families. Each family has its own burrow where they sleep, raise their young, and escape from predators like coyotes, badgers, bobcats, snakes, hawks, and eagles.
Breeding	A single male will claim two to three groups of related females as his mates. He protects these females, who are believed to be sisters. The females will not allow unrelated females into the area and will chase them away. The male chases away other males unless a stronger male can chase him away.
Conservation	A billion prairie dogs may have at one time lived in one prairie-dog town, but their communities were destroyed as people began farming the land. However, parks that were opened to save the larger plains animals, like bison, also provide shelter for prairie dogs. Though there are many such parks in the United States, only one small prairie-dog town remains in Canada, in a new national park in southern Saskatchewan.
Interesting Facts	Prairie dogs are not dogs at all, but belong to the squirrel family. They were named by American pioneers who thought their yelps sounded like the barks of dogs.
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