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Wildlife White-tailed Prairie Dog Page
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White-tailed Prairie Dog
Cynomys leucums
Habitat: White-tailed prairie dogs are animals of open shrublands, semidesert grasslands, and mountain valleys. In Colorado, the species is most often encountered in semidesert shrublands. Occasionally they invade pastures and agricultural lands at lower elevations.
Diet: White-tailed prairie dogs feed on a wide range of grasses, forbs, and woody plants. They may prefer grasses and sedges when available (Tileston and Lechleitner 1966). Sage, saltbush, winterfat, rabbitbrush, goosefoot, and dandelions are consumed.
Description: White-tailed prairie dogs can be distinguished from other prairie dogs in Colorado by the presence of a short, white to grayish white tip on the tail, whitish gray to yellowish buff body color, and distinctive dark facial markings, consisting of black to dark brown cheek patches that extend to above the eye (most prominent in summer pelage). The ventral color is slightly paler than the dorsum. Measurements are: total length 315-400 mm; length of tail length 40-65 mm; length of hindfoot 60-65 mm, length of ear 8-14 mm; weight 650-1,700 g.
Range in Colorado: White-tailed prairie dogs inhabit northwestern and west-central Colorado, to elevations over 3,050 m (10,000 ft) although most records are from below 2,600 m (8,500 ft).
Status: CDOW Other Game
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Species Occurrence Tool
(*) NDIS has no county occurrence data for fish at this time.
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