{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "prairie-dog",
  "name": "Black-tailed Prairie Dog",
  "scientificName": "Cynomys ludovicianus",
  "category": "Mammal",
  "summary": "The black-tailed prairie dog is a burrowing ground squirrel of the shortgrass and mixed-grass plains of central North America, not a dog at all. It grows to about 40 cm long and 0.7 to 1.5 kg, and lives in vast underground colonies known as towns. Highly social and vocal, these rodents graze on grasses and forbs and typically live 3 to 8 years in the wild.",
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Mammalia",
    "order": "Rodentia",
    "family": "Sciuridae",
    "genus": "Cynomys"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 1.5,
    "lengthM": 0.4,
    "topSpeedKmh": 24,
    "lifespanYears": 8
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Cynomys ludovicianus"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Herbivore — grasses, forbs, and roots"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie of central North America"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "3–8 years in the wild"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "0.7–1.5 kg (1.5–3.3 lb)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "Up to 24 km/h (15 mph) to burrow"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Shortgrass prairie of the Great Plains from Montana and North Dakota to Texas and northeastern Mexico.",
    "continents": [
      "North America"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Cynomys ludovicianus.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Cynomys%20ludovicianus&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Cynomys ludovicianus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cynomys_ludovicianus/"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/prairie-dog/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/prairie-dog/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}