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Skunk Outwits Coyote Coyote
was going along one day, feeling very hungry, when he met up with Skunk. "Hello, brother," Coyote greeted
him. "You look hungry and so am I. If I lead the way, will you join me in a trick to get something to eat?" "I will do whatever you propose," said Skunk. "A prairie dog village is just over that hill. You go over there and lie down
and play dead. I'll come along later and say to the prairie dogs, 'Come, let us have a dance over the body of our
dead enemy.' " Skunk wondered how they would ever get anything to eat by playing dead and dancing.
"Why should I do this?" he asked. "Go on," Coyote said. "Puff yourself up and play dead." Skunk went
on to the prairie dog village and pretended to be dead. After a while Coyote came along and saw several prairie
dogs playing outside their holes. They were keeping a distance between themselves and Skunk. "Oh, look," cried Coyote, "our enemy lies dead before us. Come, we will
have a dance to celebrate. Let everyone come out and then stop up the burrow holes." The foolish
prairie dogs did as he told them. "Now," said Coyote, "let us all stand in a big circle and dance
with our eyes closed. If anyone opens his eyes to look, he will turn into something bad." As soon as the prairie dogs began dancing with their eyes closed, Coyote killed one
of them. "Well, now," he called out, "let's all open our eyes." The prairie dogs did so, and
were surprised to see one lying dead. "Oh, dear," said Coyote, "look at this poor fellow. He opened
his eyes and died. Now, all of you, close your eyes and dance again. Don't look, or you too will die." They began
to dance once more, and one by one Coyote drew them out of the dance circle and killed them. At last, one of the
prairie dogs became suspicious and opened his eyes. "Oh, Coyote is killing us!" he cried, and all the
survivors ran to unstop their holes and seek safety in the burrows. Skunk then stood up, laughing at how easily Coyote had worked his trick. He helped
gather up some dry firewood and they began roasting the prairie dogs that Coyote had killed. The cooking meat smelled so good that Coyote decided he wanted to eat the best of it
himself. "Let's run a race," he said. "The one that wins will have his choice of the most delicious
prairie dogs." "No," replied Skunk, "you are too swift. I'm a slow runner and can never
beat you." "Well, I will tie a rock to my foot," Coyote said. "If you will tie on a big rock, I will race you." They decided to race around the bottom of the hill. "While I am tying this rock
to my foot," Coyote said, "you go ahead. I'll give you a start and then catch you." Skunk began to run and was soon out of sight around the hill. Coyote tied a rock to
his foot and followed, slowly at first, but he soon kicked the rock loose and doubled his speed. Along the way,
however, Skunk had found a brush pile, and he dashed in there and hid. As soon
as he saw Coyote go racing past, Skunk turned back to the fire. He raked all the roasted prairie dogs out of the
coals, except for two small bony ones that he did not want. Then he cut off the tails and stuck them back in the
ashes, and carried the meat away to the brush pile. Meanwhile Coyote was still loping around the hill, confident that Skunk was running
just ahead of him. As he hurried along, he said to himself, "I wonder where that fool Skunk is? I did not
know that he could run so fast." He soon circled back to the cooking fire and saw the prairie dog tails sticking
out of the ashes. He seized one and it slipped out. He tried another one. "Oh, but they are well cooked,"
he said. He tried another one. Then he suspected that something was wrong. Taking
a stick, Coyote raked through the coals, but he found only the two bony prairie dogs that Skunk had rejected. "Someone
must have stolen our meat," he said, and then ate the two small tasteless ones. Skunk, who by this time had feasted on the delicious meat, had crept to the top of
the hill and was looking down at Coyote. As Coyote began searching all around to see who might have stolen the
meat, Skunk threw some prairie dog bones down upon him. Coyote glanced up and saw him. "You took all the delicious prairie dogs!"
he cried. "Give me some of them." "No," Skunk answered. "We ran a race for them. I beat you. I'm going
to eat all of them." Coyote begged and begged for some of the delicious prairie dogs, but while he was still
pleading, Skunk swallowed the last morsel of meat. He was a better trickster than Coyote. Here are pictures for you to print and color:
American Indian Lore
The Prairie Dog
Editor's Note: In this issue, we're going to explore how the survival of one species depends on the survival of another. Because the prairie dog population has been reduced, the black-footed ferret has become an endangered species.
DESCRIPTION The prairie dog is a burrowing member of the order Rodentia, the largest group of mammals in the world. An adult black-tailed prairie dog is between 12 and 16 inches long and generally weighs between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds. Its tail is covered with hair and is about one-fourth of the animal's total length. Its body is tan to pale brown in color, its underparts are white to buffy white, and its tail is tipped with black. The prairie dog's legs are short, but its feet are large and have well-developed claws, especially on the forefeet. Its head is broad and rounded, and its eyes are fairly large. DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE Black-tailed prairie dogs live in colonies or "towns" that range in size from as small as one acre to several thousand acres. The largest prairie dog colony on record was in Texas, and was about 100 miles wide, 250 miles long and contained an estimated 400 million animals. It is estimated that in the late 1 800s, some 700 million acres of North American rangeland were inhabited by prairie dogs. Habitat changes and extensive eradication efforts have reduced the acreage by about 90 to 95 percent from historic levels. HABITAT AND HOME HABITS Prairie dogs are active during the day, usually from about sunrise to sunset, and during summer they spend about one-third to one-half of the daylight hours feeding. Another third is involved in social interactions with other colony members as well as working on burrows and mounds and responding to alarm calls. The remainder of daylight is spent underground, especially during mid-day when temperatures above ground are high. The black-tailed prairie dog is active all year. In winter, it remains underground for several days when weather is severe, but comes out on sunny afternoons to look for food and bask in the sun. Black-tailed prairie dogs exhibit an elaborate communication system. At least 11 separate calls have been identified, and a variety of postures and displays are utilized. Calls range from signals of alarm to "all-clear." Physical contact is another method of prairie dog communication. Mouth-to-mouth contact is used to identify coterie members from strangers, and grooming among coterie members is common. FOOD In addition to the vegetation it eats, the prairie dog also clips, but does not eat, much vegetation within its colony. This is probably done to keep the vegetation clipped short to provide an unobstructed view of approaching predators. Over a period of time, clipping, foraging and digging activities can alter the composition of the vegetation in a prairie dog town. Short native grasses like buffalograss and the grama grasses are favored when an area is used by prairie dogs for a long period of time. REPRODUCTION MORTALITY A prairie dog is susceptible to a number of diseases, the most notable being plague. Plague is an infectious disease transmitted by the bite of an infected flea. Plague can be devastating to prairie dog populations, wiping out entire colonies in some areas. This disease was known as "black death" in the 1 300s when about one-third of Europe's human population was lost. Although it can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected flea, plague has not been found in prairie dogs in Nebraska and is now treatable in humans. IMPORTANCE But, the prairie dog is not always compatible with agricultural interests. By eating and clipping vegetation, the prairie dog does compete with livestock. The economic impact of the prairie dog on rangeland is difficult to assess and depends on a number of factors including the density of prairie dogs, the amount of rainfall, the presence of livestock, and the condition of rangeland in the surrounding area. However, the prairie dog and large grazing animals can benefit from each other's presence. In areas where there is taller vegetation, domestic livestock keep vegetation cropped low, which allows the prairie dog to occur in areas where it wouldn't otherwise be found. On the other hand, when bison roamed the plains in massive numbers, they spent considerable time foraging in prairie dog towns, as does livestock today. The prairie dog's feeding and clipping activities stimulate new plant growth that is of higher quality and more desirable to livestock. Consequently, the loss of some rangeland to prairie dogs can easily be overestimated if livestock are also using the area. Most landowners are tolerant of small numbers of prairie dogs but are concerned about large colonies or expanding populations. Effective control measures safe for humans and the environment are available and are used by landowners and governmental agencies. Some recent research is showing promise for non lethal measures to control prairie dog numbers, including the installation of barrier fences in the colonies, and fencing to exclude livestock. In addition to their importance to landowners and other wildlife species, prairie dogs are also important to wildlife observers, photographers, and recreational shooters.
Prairie Dog Facts: 1. Where
they live Do you want to hear what a prairie dog sounds like? Click the links below! Here are some prairie dog sites for you to explore Prairie
Dog-Keep the Wild Alive Black-tailed Prairie Dog Facts
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Black-footed Ferret Description:
The black-footed ferret is a small weasel-like animal with a black mask around its eyes and black legs and feet.
It is between 18 and 22 inches long, including its tail. It weighs up to 2 1/2 pounds. The Black-footed Ferret Wild Times-the Black-footed Ferret |
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