: any of a genus (Cynomys) of gregarious burrowing rodents of the squirrel family chiefly of central and western U.S. plains
especially: a black-tailed rodent (C. ludovicianus) that usually lives in extensive colonial burrows
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The culprit was sylvatic plague, a bacterial disease that devastates both ferrets and their primary prey, Gunnison's prairie dogs.—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024 Animals such as prairie dogs, African penguins, Amur leopards, cheetahs, lions, and otters will most likely be visible in the colder weather at the zoo.—Tiffany Watson, Baltimore Sun, 2 Jan. 2025 The bacterial disease also impacted the ferret's main prey, Gunnison's prairie dogs, which damaged the entire ecosystem for the animals, in part leading to a decline of more than 100 ferrets in Arizona since the early 2000s.—Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 1 Dec. 2024 Why getting rid of it is so difficult Preserving the Big Chino Grasslands
Hidden within the sea of native grass, prairie dogs pop in and out of their burrows catching glimpses of a red tail hawk circling in the distance.—John Leos, The Arizona Republic, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prairie dog
: a black-tailed buff or grayish rodent of central and western U.S. prairies that is related to the squirrels and usually lives in colonies with many burrows
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