Utah Prairie Dog

About the Utah Prairie Dog

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens) is the smallest species of prairie dog and is endemic to the south-central steppes of the American state of Utah. The species is listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with a status of Endangered. Because of this, it is a protected species; the prairie dog faces various threats - the most dangerous being habitat loss and diseases.

The fur of Utah prairie dogs is multicolored, which consists of black, brown, and dark brown at the tip. Their faces have dark brown cheeks and whitish tone around their chins and mouth. Utah prairie dogs also have distinctly clay colored proximal tail parts and dorsum, as well as dark eyebrows. In terms of taxonomy, there are two subgenera of prairie dogs: "black-tailed" prairie dogs and "white-tailed" prairie dogs. Utah prairie dogs are a member of the latter of the two groups and the subgenus Leucrossuromys. Utah prairie dogs may have been part of the interbreeding species of white-tailed prairie dogs but their differences are a result of what is known as allopatric speciation – separation of a species by physiographic and ecological barriers.

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