My best friend Carlee, for helping me write this story

Pippy the Prairie Dog The Fourth Dirtiest Burrow in the Plains Life Zone

Centennial, CO, 80122

Food:Food: Any Diminutive PlantsTime of Year: Time of Year: Summer ( the temperature is warm, and our ears don’t hurtVacation Spot:Vacation Spot: the biggest prairie in the world

Any questions or comments call p1-800-pippy-prairiedog or email pippylikespie@gmail. com

© November,2010 Mrs. Jones Publishing Press. No parts of this book can be copied, you have to get permission from Pippy . If you copy any thing with out permission you will receive google card signs from Mrs. Jones

A prairie dog is a friendly fellow and helps farmers plants grow, although sometimes they eat them. What’s up, I am Pippy the prairie dog and I welcome you to read about my families and my fabulous description, fun life, grassy and dirty habitat, how we protect ourselves, and are yummy(well maybe not for you) food.

Prairie dogs make a ridiculous barking (like dog) sound, that is how we received our names, and how we protect ourselves.

Bark!

This was were I was born except it was covered in grass(my bed).

My description is awe-inspiring and I am quite a fuzzy, and fat creature. Prairie dogs are in the class of the mammal, and we’re in the order of the rodents, which have long teeth, and means we are allied to squirrels, guinea pigs, mice, and marmots. There are 5 types of prairie dog species and I am one of them. One of the species is the black tailed prairie dog that is the most common prairie dog, there is another type of prairie dog called the Gunnison, the Gunnison has a grey tail. The second most common prairie dog species is the white tailed prairie dog, which has a white tail (that is the type of prairie dog I am, this type is awesome). I presume you know this but the blacked tailed prairie dog has a black tail. We are the size of a puppy, rabbit, or football. We also act like dogs, we wag our tails when we are happy, when we sit up we look like a dog begging for a treat. I am 14 inches long and a rotund puppy that is a full grown prairie dog. My ears are so cute, tiny and rounded (well at least I think they are cute). Ahh, I am quite a fuzzy creature because of my coat it is comprised of short hairs that surround my whole body. The color of my elegant outer coat is fawn, the underneath color of my coat is blond. My front teeth are massive, and never stop growing, but when I start knawing on my food my big buck teeth start to shrink. My diminutive legs and long claws are so helpful for making my home by scratching away in the soil.

On the left side is my cousin Sara the squirrel, we are

related because we are rodents with big buck teeth

(don’t live near each other, that is why she is not on

the map).

Some prairie dogs are fat and some are skinny, but all prairie dogs have lengthy claws hat help make their home .

Where do us prairie dogs exist? What is the climate like? I have a unique habitat it is quite pleasing to me. My habitat is made with dirt and is very grassy. My friends, family, and I exist in herd’s underground, because it’s easier to hide from enemies since there are no trees or bushes. I survive on a prairie, a prairie is a meadow, and a meadow is an area that is full of grass are no trees. If you ever located my habitat it would be piled with mounds of dirt and grass. The first thing we have to accomplish to obtain into our house is climb through a mound, at the top of my burrow that is made out of dirt. We enter a wide tunnel that is 12 feet long and leads down hill and you can choose which room you want to go in, there is the listening room, the bathroom, the winter food storage, and the sleeping and nesting room. What is the weather is like were I reside? The weather is sunny, snowy, windy, or rainy. We hate the wind because it stops our hearing abilities. I exist in the Plains life zone, where it is very dry, and there is a lot of grass.

What do prairie dogs devour and how do they find it? How do we munch are food? My diet will hopefully gratify you because it sure does satisfies me. I consume scrumptious food(my food is surely delicious for me, but probably not for you) like leaves, roots weeds, grasses and other plants that I have know clue what their names are. You know what is awesome we don’t have to venture to a store to unearth our food. Prairie dogs have a tremendous way of ingestion food and my body parts help me eat. My nose helps me locate the freshest shoots and leaves, and my razor sharp teeth and paws help me nibble my food away. In the winter time it’s harder to discover food because the grass does not grow. Prairie dogs like summer much more well it is obvious because we can uncover more food.

FLOWERS LEAVES GRASS YUMM!

YUM!

My big buck teeth help me chew my food.

How do prairie dogs protect themselves? Who keeps timepiece for danger? My protection is intriguing. Satisfying adults take turns scrutinizing and listening for hawks and coyotes nearby, when they do locate any enemy they flick their tail, bark and dash for safety. The prairie dogs received their names because of there earsplitting bark, actually because of my amusing bark I we are the most social squirrels in the squirrel family. If you ever come to vi. sit me I am sure you will be annoyed and amazed of my bark. In my habitat it is hard to hide from enemies because there are no trees or bushes to hide in. My worst enemies or predators (I like to call them enemies because I don’t like them so don’t be surprised if I say enemy instead of predator) are the coyote, black footed ferret, the snake, and the bobcat. The black footed ferret was once my main enemy he/she was basically ugly and mean. My other worst enemies are snakes they are so skinny that they fit through my burrow and gulp us all (this is a tragic). I remember playing with all of those prairie dog friends when I used to be young, my Mom and Dad told me “playing will help you fight off predators when you become older” and you know what that actually worked because now I am superior at fighting off enemies.I like to

consume on prairie dogs Bark!

A noisy bark scare the enemies away like that black footed ferret over there.

What do prairie dogs do with there families? How do prairie dogs grow up? Last but not least, there is my satisfying family life. What is a coterie? A coterie is a group that contains at least two prairie dogs. The leader of a coterie is the strongest male (my dad), who told me that he was the first one to emerge from the burrow. Only members are allowed into the burrow, if there is an intruder the leader sends a loud alarm and bites the intruder. The members of the burrow have to cooperate which means which means they have to allow another prairie dog in the burrow to groom them. I met a lot of prairie dogs by smelling them, when I perform that it looks like I am kissing the prairie dog that I am meeting. The reason we sniff each other is because our eyesight is very horrific. When winter arrives, we spend our days in a burrow but we do not hibernate. Before winter, I fatten up in the fall so I can stay warm, if I don’t fatten up in the fall I won’t survive the winter. Spring is breeding season. The females locate grass for the beds for the little babies. I remember my mom told me that I was born a month after my mom and dad mated. My mother borned 3 brothers and me. I used to be 3 inches long, hairless, wrinkled, and I had a red body when I used to be a pup. When I became older I left the burrow that I dwelled in. As the pups leave the burrow all of the mothers become confused which one is which (well at least that is what my mom thought). When I left from my home instead of being chased away I received a little nuzzle. When it used to be the end of my first summer I was fully grown, that won’t stop me from playing (well I do play less), and I still learn. Some of the things that I am learning right now is how to show off. This is what I learned so far about showing off, you stand tall on your hind legs(easy for you not for me you accomplish it all the time), and point your head at the sky, that means here I am.

Prairie dogs start to grow hair when

they are at least 1 week oldYou always receive a little

nuzzle before leaving the

burrow.

Thank you for reading about my the prairie dog’s massive teeth that shrink when I munch on my food, my grassy habitat that is called a burrow , my worst enemies the black footed ferret, the coyote, the snake, and the bobcat , the strongest male that is the leader. I am ready to have fun LIVE the life and figure out more about myself.

You Leaving Already

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http://flickr.com/photos/allard1/3124934076/

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