Mexican prairie dog Mexican prairie dog The Mexican prairie dog ("Cynomys mexicanus") is a diurnal burrowing rodent native to Mexico. Treatment as an agricultural pest has led to its status as an endangered species. They are closely related to squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots. "Cynomys mexicanus" originated about 230,000 years ago from a peripherally isolated population of the more widespread "Cynomys ludovicianus". These prairie dogs prefer to inhabit rock-free soil in plains at an altitude of . They are found in the regions of southern Coahuila and northern San Luis Potosí in northern Mexico, where they eat herbs and grasses native to the plains
Black-tailed prairie dog more often than those that did not. In addition, the caller may be trying to make itself more noticeable to the predator. However, a predator seems to have difficulty determining which prairie dog is making the call due to its "ventriloquistic" nature. Also, when a prairie dog makes a call, the others seem not to run into the burrows, but stand on the mounds to see where the predator is, making themselves visible to the predator. Perhaps the most conspicuous prairie dog communication is the territorial call or "jump-yip" display. A prairie dog will stretch the length of its body