Black-tailed prairie dog
Amazing fact
Black-tailed prairie dogs get the moisture they need from the plants they eat, so they can live without drinking water.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Black-tailed prairie dogs get the moisture they need from the plants they eat, so they can live without drinking water.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Black-tailed prairie dog
- Scientific name
- Cynomys ludovicianus
- Japanese name
- オグロプレーリードッグ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Sciuridae
- Genus
- Cynomys
It is a member of the squirrel family that lives on the prairies of North America.
Its underground burrow serves as a food store, bedroom and nursery. The entrance is shaped like a volcano, which keeps out rainwater.
Many groups gather and live together. Standing up on a slightly raised spot to keep watch, it warns the others with a call when danger comes near.
How the Black-tailed prairie dog lives
They spend most hot summer days sleeping and are active above ground in the morning and evening. They look for food close to their burrows whenever possible. They mainly eat the leaves, stems and roots of grasses and other soft plants. They return to their burrows around sunset.
Smithsonian National ZooUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: 30–38 cm上野動物園
- Weight
- males 850–1,675 g, females 705–1,050 g上野動物園
- Lifespan
- up to 8 years in the wildUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Active
- By day (diurnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Leaves, stems, grass roots and weeds上野動物園
- Range
- North America上野動物園
Where the Black-tailed prairie dog has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- オグロプレーリードッグ
- 简体中文
- 黑尾草原犬鼠
- 繁體中文
- 黑尾土撥鼠
- 한국어
- 검은꼬리프레리도그
- Français
- Chien de prairie à queue noire
- Deutsch
- Schwarzschwanz-Präriehund
- Português (Brasil)
- Cão-das-pradarias-de-rabo-preto
- العربية
- كلب المروج أسود الذيل
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Pispisa ekor-hitam
- Tiếng Việt
- Sóc đồng cỏ đuôi đen
- Русский
- Чернохвостая луговая собачка
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — オグロプレーリードッグChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Cynomys ludovicianusChecked: 2026-11-03
- Smithsonian National Zoo — Black-tailed prairie dogChecked: 2026-11-06
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Black-tailed prairie dog, look for this
- Watch for them standing on their hind legs and using their front paws to bring grass to their mouths.
- Look for the black hairs at the tip of the tail.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
上野動物園Smithsonian National ZooEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Black-tailed prairie dog
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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Others in Sciuridae
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