Prairie Dog Towns Activity
Read this information about prairie dogs. Think about the meanings of the words in bold type.
What kinds of dogs live in their own towns? Prairie dogs do! But they are not dogs at all! These cute little animals are a kind of squirrel.
Prairie dogs only weigh about 3 pounds. They are less than 12 inches long. They are the color of sand. Their fur is dark gray with a little red. Their tails are short and black.
Prairie dogs live deep under the ground in burrows. The burrows have tunnels and rooms. The tunnels have many turns so that prairie dogs can hide. They use the rooms in many ways. Some rooms are for sleeping. Other rooms are for their pups, or babies. Mother prairie dogs hide their babies in nests.
WORKSHEET & Sample PDF Activity
Sample PDF Activity
The prairie dog builds a mound, or small hill, around the opening of the burrow. When it rains, the water runs down the sides of the mound and not into the burrow.
Groups of prairie dogs live near each other in a town. All the prairie dogs in a town protect each other from enemies. They stand on the mounds to watch for enemies. The prairie dogs’ enemies are owls, hawks, and snakes. They like to catch the pups. The mother prairie dogs bark a warning. They chatter to scare enemies away. The pups run and hide quickly in the burrows. When it is safe again, the mother prairie dogs bark for the pups to come out of the burrow.
Prairie dogs are very clever animals!
Down Town! Worksheet
Also . . .
- How do prairie dogs protect each other?
- In what way are the prairie dogs clever?
- What kind of warning do the prairie dogs give?
- Why does the mother prairie dog chatter?
Prairie Dog Towns – Answer Key
The following answers read from top to bottom and left to right:
enemies
mound
burrows
tunnels
1.–4. Answers will vary.
- enemies
- chatter
- burrows
- tunnels
- mound
- protect
- warning
- clever
TOWNS
