Utah Prairie Dog

(cynomys parvidens)
Taylor Chaplin BIO 227

Description and Ecology:

The Utah Prairie Dog happens to be the
smallest species of prairie dogs. Even
though it is called a dog, its actually a
ground-dwelling rodent in the family of
Sciuridae, which squirrels, marmots, and
chipmunks are also a part of. The Utah Prairie Dog has
unique fur, including shades of brown and tan, with white
and black patches as well. They typically have a light brown
back, a white to tan stomach, and white on their inner tail.
Their distinguishing features are dark brown patches under
their eyes and black spots above the eyes. Adult males
tend to weigh between 1.7 to 3.1 pounds, while adult
females only weigh from 1.4 to 2.5 pounds. Adults can
range from 9.8 to 15.7 inches in length, which includes
their 1.2 to 2.6-inch-long tail.

Sources: http://www.arkive.org/utah-prairie-dog/cynomys-parvidens/
https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/1203012_UTPD_RevisedRecoveryPlan_Final.pdf
The Utah Prairie Dog is typically located in southern Utah in counties
like Beaver, Iron, Plute, etc. They live in prairies, or grasslands,
because they need