Prairie dog itself more noticeable to the predator. Predators, though, seem to have difficulty determining which prairie dog is making the call due to its "ventriloquistic" nature. Perhaps the most striking of prairie dog communications is the territorial call or "jump-yip" display of the black-tailed prairie dog. A black-tailed prairie dog will stretch the length of its body vertically and throw its forefeet into the air while making a call. A jump-yip from one prairie dog causes others nearby to do the same. Ecologists consider this rodent to be a keystone species. They are an important prey species, being the primary diet
Utah prairie dog to 1.13 kg in females. Utah prairie dogs show sexual dimorphism that males are 27% bigger than female, although the ratio varies by season. In 1952, Durant noted that Utah prairie dogs have larger in every aspect of skull than that of Gunnison's prairie dog. Utah prairie dogs prefer swale land area with abundant herbaceous plants. They build burrows on soils with adequate drain ability, and depth to protect themselves from predators and other environmental factors such as temperature. Utah prairie dogs are only found in the southern part of Utah; today they are only found in the central and