- White-tailed Prairie Dog
Taxobox | name = White-tailed Prairie Dog
image_width = 200px
status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3
trend = unknown
regnum =Animalia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Mammalia
ordo =Rodent ia
familia =Sciuridae
genus = "Cynomys"
species = "C. leucurus"
binomial = "Cynomys leucurus"
binomial_authority = (Merriam,1890 )The White-tailed Prairie Dog ("Cynomys leucurus") is found in western
Wyoming and westernColorado with small areas in easternUtah and southernMontana . The largest populations are in Wyoming. Thisprairie dog species lives between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, generally a higher elevation than other prairie dog species. Its predators include black-footed ferrets, badgers, and golden eagles.Description
The white-tailed prairie dog is tan-brown in color, with large eyes and a dark patch on their cheeks above and below each eye [http://www.r6.fws.gov/species/mammals/wtprairiedog/ US Fish and Wildlife Service] .
Conservation Status
The species appears in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with a status of lower risk/least concern, last assessed in 1996 [ [http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/42454/summ 2007 IUCN Red List – Search ] ] . Petitions have been made to protect the White-tailed prairie dog, but they have been denied by the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service due to insufficient scientific data describing current population trends [http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/pressrel/04-78.htm US Fish and Wildlife Service White-tailed Prairie Dog Press Release] . This denial is being reconsidered, because former deputy assistant secretaryJulie MacDonald has been found to have improperly influenced the scientific basis of the denial. [cite news|last=Lewis|first=Paul|title=Agency to review species decisions|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003799211_endangered21.html|publisher=Washington Post|date=2007-07-20]References
External links
* [http://www.canedellaprateria.com/indexeng.html Prairie dogs videos (in English)]
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