Tail not shown! This rodent, a type of ground squirrel, is found in the Great Plains of North America from about the US-Canada border
to the US-Mexico border. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison, Utah, and
Mexican prairie dogs.

Prior to habitat destruction, this species was probably the most abundant prairie dog in central North America. There is a report of a
black-tailed prairie dog town in Texas that covered 25,000 square miles and included 400 million individuals.