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A lookout stands near the burrow’s entrance. This prairie dog watches for danger. It looks for coyotes, badgers, eagles, and hawks. All these animals eat prairie dogs. To get a better view, the lookout stands up on its back legs. If it sees a predator, it barks. The squeaks warn the other prairie dogs to run and hide.

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Prairie dog colonies can cover huge areas of land. For this reason, the colonies are often called towns. In 1901, scientists found an enormous prairie dog town in Texas. It covered 25,000 square miles (65,000 sq km). Scientists estimate 400 million prairie dogs lived inside it.

Activities

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Making Connections

Text-to-Self

Would you want to live near a prairie dog colony? Why or why not?

Text-to-Text

What books have you read about other animals that live underground? What kind of homes did those animals make?

Text-to-World

Many prairie dogs live together in a colony. What other animals live in large groups?

Teacher Resources

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