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Animal Guide

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

97 destinations · 34 states

Native Range
Great Plains of North America

Black-tailed prairie dogs are small, social rodents that can make a zoo exhibit feel surprisingly busy. Watch a colony for a few minutes and you'll see animals popping out of burrow entrances, grooming, nibbling grasses, or standing upright to scan for danger. Their short black-tipped tails are easy to spot as they hurry across the ground. Prairie dogs live in extensive underground burrow systems, where connected chambers provide shelter from weather and predators. They communicate with a variety of calls, including sharp alarm calls that can send nearby animals diving underground in an instant. Family groups stay closely connected, with individuals greeting one another through nose-to-nose contact and grooming. Their constant digging also changes the landscape around them, creating openings where different plants can grow and other animals can use abandoned burrows. At a zoo or wildlife destination, the best moments often happen around the burrow entrances. One prairie dog may disappear below ground just as another pops up a few feet away, keeping the whole colony in motion.

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

Where to see Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

97 destinations across 34 states

97 destinations

Adirondack Animal Land

Gloversville, NY

Aloha Safari Park

Cameron, NC

Amarillo Zoo

Amarillo, TX

Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo

New Braunfels, TX

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Tucson, AZ

Austin Aquarium

Austin, TX

Austin Zoo

Austin, TX

Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge

Orlando, FL

Bailiwick Animal Park & Riding Stables

Catskill, NY

Bear Country USA

Rapid City, SD

Bearizona Wildlife Park

Williams, AZ

Bergen County Zoo

Paramus, NJ

Big Joel's Safari

Wright City, MO

Binder Park Zoo

Battle Creek, MI

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park

Alto, MI

Bramble Park Zoo

Watertown, SD

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo

Baton Rouge, LA

Bronx Zoo

Bronx, NY

Chattanooga Zoo

Chattanooga, TN

Chehaw Park & Zoo

Albany, GA

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Cincinnati, OH

Claws 'N' Paws Wild Animal Park

Lake Ariel, PA

Columbian Park Zoo

Lafayette, IN

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo

Bridgeport, CT

Dakota Zoo

Bismarck, ND

David Traylor Zoo of Emporia

Emporia, KS

Detroit Zoo

Royal Oak, MI

El Paso Zoo

El Paso, TX

Elmwood Park Zoo

Norristown, PA

Emerald Coast Zoo

Crestview, FL

Essex County Turtle Back Zoo

West Orange, NJ

Frank Buck Zoo

Gainesville, TX

Franklin Park Zoo

Boston, MA

Gone Wild Safari

Pineville, LA

Hattiesburg Zoo

Hattiesburg, MS

Hutchinson Zoo

Hutchinson, KS

Lake Superior Zoo

Duluth, MN

Layton Aquarium & Wildlife

Layton, UT

Living Desert Zoo

Carlsbad, NM

Living Treasures "Wild" Animal Park

New Castle, PA

Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo

Monroe, LA

Lupa Zoo

Ludlow, MA

Lynnwood Park Zoo

Jacksonville, NC

Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo

Manitowoc, WI

Mesker Park Zoo

Evansville, IN

Metro Richmond Zoo

Moseley, VA

Milwaukee County Zoo

Milwaukee, WI

Minnesota Zoo

Apple Valley, MN

NEW Zoo & Adventure Park

Green Bay, WI

Niabi Zoo

Coal Valley, IL

Ochsner Park Zoo

Baraboo, WI

Oklahoma City Zoo

Oklahoma City, OK

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

Omaha, NE

One World Interactive Aquarium

Las Vegas, NV

Orange County Zoo

Orange, CA

Pete's Safari

Alda, NE

Phoenix Zoo

Phoenix, AZ

Pine Grove Zoo

Little Falls, MN

Plumpton Park Zoo

Rising Sun, MD

Potawatomi Zoo

South Bend, IN

Prairie Park Nature Center

Lawrence, KS

Prospect Park Zoo

Brooklyn, NY

Pueblo Zoo

Pueblo, CO

Red River Zoo

Fargo, ND

Reptile Gardens

Rapid City, SD

Rolling Hills Zoo

Salina, KS

Roosevelt Park Zoo

Minot, ND

Safari North Wildlife Park

Brainerd, MN

Saginaw Children's Zoo

Saginaw, MI

Saint Louis Zoo

St. Louis, MO

Salisbury Zoological Park

Salisbury, MD

San Diego Zoo

San Diego, CA

San Francisco Zoo

San Francisco, CA

Sarasota Jungle Gardens

Sarasota, FL

Scovill Zoo

Decatur, IL

Sedgwick County Zoo

Wichita, KS

Shalom Wildlife Zoo

West Bend, WI

Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education & Experience Center

Naples, FL

Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Washington, DC

Southwick's Zoo

Mendon, MA

Space Farms: Zoo & Museum

Sussex, NJ

Sunset Zoo

Manhattan, KS

Sustainable Safari

Maplewood, MN

The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens

Palm Desert, CA

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

Baltimore, MD

Timbavati Wildlife Park

Wisconsin Dells, WI

Tregembo Animal Park

Wilmington, NC

Wild Adventures

Valdosta, GA

Wildlife Learning Center

Sylmar, CA

Wildlife Safari Park

Ashland, NE

Wildwood Wildlife Park Zoo & Safari

Minocqua, WI

Wildwood Zoo

Marshfield, WI

Wisconsin Rapids Municipal Zoo

Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Zollman Zoo

Byron, MN

Zoo Boise

Boise, ID

ZooAmerica

Hershey, PA

Zootastic Park

Troutman, NC

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