Really cool... Prairie Dogs: North America's Meerkats (video)

[Miss*Bijou]

I found the clip about language especially interesting.

So cool!! :thumb:








About Prairie Dogs..

There are 5 species of prairie dogs; the Black-tailed prairie dogs and the Mexican prairie dogs are the black-tailed group who have black tail tips, and the Gunnison's prairie dogs, the White-tailed prairie dogs, and the Utah prairie dogs are the white-tailed group who have white tail tips.

All prairie dogs live in the grasslands of western central North America, and all are social. They live in relative harmony within their social groups. All of the species are similar in their social behavior, although the black-tails are somewhat more social than the white-tails. Learn about a type of hibernation called Torpor that prairie dogs employ. See pups before they emerge from their natal burrows as well as in different stages of life (an average prairie dog lives 3-4 years), rare above ground mating, a lot of greet-kissing, territorial behavior from fighting and aggressive chases to social structure based on plant food sources on each territory, mutual grooming, and prairie dog personalities!

Prairie dogs are considered Keystone Species of their grassland ecosystems -- some 200 vertebrate species and a number of invertebrate species of animals depend on them for food or for their burrows. Prairie dogs survive in 1-2% of their historic range of habitat. Their numbers have declined drastically over the past 100 years to 1-2% of the number of animals there were historically. Agriculture, land development, target shooting and disease are the primary reasons for their continuing decline.

A number of prairie animals are at risk of extinction (as well as prairie dogs themselves) because prairie dog numbers are so low. Five animals that are dependent on prairie dogs and are at highest risk are Black-Footed Ferrets, Swift Foxes, Mountain Plovers, Burrowing Owls and Ferruginous Hawks.





Language


This program discusses Prairie Dog Language -- the most sophisticated animal language decoded so far. Con Slobodchikoff, Ph.D., and his students at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, researched the Gunnison's prairie dogs Alarm Calls for over 30 years to decode their language. Sonograms of all 5 species of prairie dogs suggest that they would not understand each other and each species has their own language. Each species also has Regional and Local Dialects.



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Social Life



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Ecology



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Conservation


This program discusses Prairie Dog Conservation. All five species are decreasing at an alarming rate. Since 1900, more than 98% of prairie dog habitat has been lost, so that today we have 1- 2% of prairie dog habitat left on our grasslands.

Four primary reasons for this ongoing drastic decline in prairie dog numbers and habitat are POISONING, TARGET SHOOTING, DEVELOPMENT and DISEASE.

Groups and individuals are working to protect and preserve prairie dogs. They are making progress to gain more legal protections with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, acquiring land to preserve prairie ecosystems, educating the public, initiating conservation strategies, and relocating prairie dogs from areas where they are not wanted to safe preserves. Please help prevent prairie dogs from going extinct by supporting these efforts.

The five species of prairie dogs are all found only in North America. All of the prairie dogs are very social animals, living in colonies call towns. They have a social system similar to our own, and a complicated language, just like us.

See pups before they emerge from their natal burrows as well as in different stages of life (an average prairie dog lives 3-4 years), rare above ground mating, greet-kissing, prairie dog chatter and jump-yips!






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[UhOh]

I used to watch Meerkat Manor. So sad when Flower died

 

[Miss*Bijou]

I used to watch Meerkat Manor. So sad when Flower died

LOL I love Meerkat Manor :thumb:

 

[UhOh]

I couldn't tell one meerkat from the other. I often wondered if the producers could, did they just make up the storyline or did it actually play out as told.
Either way the show was well done and interesting for what a day in the life of a meerkat entailed.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

I couldn't tell one meerkat from the other. I often wondered if the producers could, did they just make up the storyline or did it actually play out as told.
Either way the show was well done and interesting for what a day in the life of a meerkat entailed.

Actually, I didn't realize it had been an actual show. What I saw were the movie versions...same thing just condensed. lol


To answer your questions...and some interesting facts from the wikipedia page:

Most filming was done by a single cameraman and a single sound engineer; researchers have required a minimal human presence to avoid stressing the animals. Eye-level shots were difficult to achieve at times, due to the meerkats' small size and the limited height of even the smallest tripods.

For tracking purposes by the researchers, the dominant female of each group is fitted with a radio collar, as are some dominant and roaming males. The meerkats – especially younger animals – are marked with dye to differentiate them. As the meerkats are habituated, they would tend to ignore the camera crew as long as their "personal space" was respected.

...


While the show portrays real events among the Kalahari Meerkats, it also removes repetitive elements of the animals' lives. Because many days are filled with behaviour related to grooming and foraging, these routines were often left out of the show in favour of more unusual events.

The meerkats are all named by Kalahari Meerkat volunteers; the individual who first sees a new litter emerge from the burrow is awarded naming rights. This has produced a variety of names, frequently drawn from volunteers' favourite books, movies, musical groups, family and friends, historical figures and geographical locations. Animal Planet sometimes renamed the meerkats for narration, arguing that researchers' names were too limited, often relating to spices and food condiments.

....

Two of the major Whiskers family rivals were composites, created with footage and blended stories from multiple groups. For example, the Commandoes group on the show uses some of events from the real Commandoes group, but was primarily shown with footage from the Vivian research group – including its dominant couple. Similarly, the show's Zappa group was mostly presented using footage from a group called the "The Young Ones" (named after the British television show); however, the actual story and dominant couple were from the real Zappa Group. Axel, the abandoned pup from series three, has a research number that indicates he was probably a Young Ones pup, rather than being a Zappa as the show claims.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerkat_Manor

Additional info: http://www.iawf.org.uk/articles/index.asp?articleid=1009

 

[UhOh]

The holes they make in the ground are not so good for horses either.

 

[Sleepmonger]

The little buggers we have up here are mostly Richardson's Ground Squirrels (aka Gophers) and in some areas, northern pocket gophers. Both of which are are considered in the least concern group, as in there are lots of them. In fact, the Government of Saskatchewan regularly runs programs to help farmers get rid of them, as they are quite destructive to crops.

I always have found them cute but man do they absolutely destroy crops... They also breed so fast that if left alone for a few years it's impossible to control them without drastic measures. I grew up in Saskatchewan, and the farms owned by our extended family were in areas with populations of a few protected species, meaning no one I knew could use poison to control gophers. If left alone their population would increase to over 10 times starting numbers in just under two years. Basically if you had to kill 70% of their population every year just to keep numbers stable.

It's still pretty damn barbaric what they do to get rid of them however even up here.

No kidding! As terrible as it sounds, I have found target practice is actually the most humane way farmers around there deal with infestations. The effects of the poisons look horrible, and farmers who do poison also end up killing all the coyotes, badgers, predatory birds, dogs, and cats in the area. Which are all natural gopher predators... meaning the population gets harder and harder to control. Some of the commercially available machines look like they have been designed by a psychopath.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

where i grew up the little buggers shot back!!!

 

[Miss*Bijou]

They also breed so fast that if left alone for a few years it's impossible to control them without drastic measures. If left alone their population would increase to over 10 times starting numbers in just under two years. Basically if you had to kill 70% of their population every year just to keep numbers stable.

Obviously you haven't watched the videos I recommend you do because he specifically addresses this myth. Prairie dogs actually reproduce slowly.

As terrible as it sounds, I have found target practice is actually the most humane way farmers around there deal with infestations.

Well, not sure about humane... but it sure sounds like a human way to 'deal with infestations'.

Has anyone determined the most humane way to deal with homo erectus infestations yet?

The effects of the poisons look horrible, and farmers who do poison also end up killing all the coyotes, badgers, predatory birds, dogs, and cats in the area. Which are all natural gopher predators... meaning the population gets harder and harder to control.

You'd think that would be seen as cost effective. Like killing two birds with one stone, so to speak! No need to set traps to kill and then collect the carcasses of those damn pests, like coyotes and badgers... Maybe that ruins the pelts? Or does it just ruin the fun?



( Note: Sorry, not directing my sarcasm at you personally. I know you didn't create the system. But it reinforces the fact that humans are the pests and the infestation. We're sick and so deluded with all the crap we believe and do, it's insane! It's depressing. Ugh.
Anyway.... But I'm not bitching at you so please don't take it personally. It's meant as a general comment and not directed at you specifically. Just to clarify - not trying to get into an argument )

 

[UhOh]

. Just to clarify - not trying to get into an argument )

Not even an oil wrestling match?

 

[storm rider]

Richardsons ground squirrels AKA Gophers are varmints and a menace to both the farming/equestrian/golf industries....nasty little rodents.

A common sight in Calgary is the gopher daisy chain....1 gopher gets squashed by a car and then another gopher gets squashed by another car because he is is trying to eat his roadkill buddy.I think the biggest chain I saw was 10 of the little fuckers.I wont aim for them whilst driving but I sure as hell wont swerve to avoid them either.

SR

 

[UhOh]

....1 gopher gets squashed by a car and then another gopher gets squashed by another car because he is is trying to eat his roadkill buddy.I think the biggest chain I saw was 10 of the little fuckers.

those little monsters. I had no idea they are cannibals.

 

[Sleepmonger]

Obviously you haven't watched the videos I recommend you do because he specifically addresses this myth. Prairie dogs actually reproduce slowly.

Nope, wasnt able to watch them at the time. I'm not sure how you define slowly, but 6 - 8 offspring per female with a 35-45% mortality rate to adulthood sounds like a pretty solid opportunity for growth to me. If a field is being controlled the majority of the golphers disposed of are male, and the females stay in the ground. meaning the population comes back strong every year... In my experience the population growth is the 10x over 2 years I mentioned before.

Has anyone determined the most humane way to deal with homo erectus infestations yet?

Hehe, quite the shit disturber arent you. I was under the impression that was one of the purposes for modern economics and not bothering to control poverty, no?

You'd think that would be seen as cost effective. Like killing two birds with one stone, so to speak! No need to set traps to kill and then collect the carcasses of those damn pests, like coyotes and badgers... Maybe that ruins the pelts? Or does it just ruin the fun?

Dunno, no one I knew had issues with having coyotes or badgers on their land. They were always around, but I was never a part of any action against them. As far as I know, no one ever wants to kill hawks, foxes, owls, and the like. Or wait fox hunting is a thing... nevermind.

I've always enjoyed firearms, but I prefer metal and paper targets targets... I have never enjoyed shooting golphers, or any living thing really. (I've never gone hunting in my life.) It was just something I was forced to do as the eldest of the cousins. (That sounds super redneck... but I'm not, I swear.)

( Note: Sorry, not directing my sarcasm at you personally. I know you didn't create the system. But it reinforces the fact that humans are the pests and the infestation. We're sick and so deluded with all the crap we believe and do, it's insane! It's depressing. Ugh.
Anyway.... But I'm not bitching at you so please don't take it personally. It's meant as a general comment and not directed at you specifically. Just to clarify - not trying to get into an argument )

No offense taken, or intended... but I'll argue a bit anyways, because that's what I do.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

A common sight in Calgary is the gopher daisy chain....1 gopher gets squashed by a car and then another gopher gets squashed by another car because he is is trying to eat his roadkill buddy.I think the biggest chain I saw was 10 of the little fuckers.I wont aim for them whilst driving but I sure as hell wont swerve to avoid them either.

SR

they're not tryin' to eat their buddies SR, bein' the social animals they are, they're tryin' to resuscitate 'em!! :angel:

ound:

 

[storm rider]

they're not tryin' to eat their buddies SR, bein' the social animals they are, they're tryin' to resuscitate 'em!! :angel:

ound:

Nope they are out on the road eating their dead buddies....the real score is if you can paste a magpie that is pecking at a squashed gopher LOL.

SR

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Nope, wasnt able to watch them at the time. I'm not sure how you define slowly, but 6 - 8 offspring per female with a 35-45% mortality rate to adulthood sounds like a pretty solid opportunity for growth to me. If a field is being controlled the majority of the gophers disposed of are male, and the females stay in the ground. meaning the population comes back strong every year... In my experience the population growth is the 10x over 2 years I mentioned before.

I'm talking about prairie dogs. I'm not talking about gophers. Prairie dogs are not one of the species that are referred to as gophers. Ground squirrels and other gophers are rodents like prairie dogs but they are not part of the same family. Some species of gophers do indeed reproduce quickly however prairie dogs do not.

It would be great if we could stick to prairie dogs, seeing as this is the species discussed in the videos and the one mentioned in the title. Might lead to less confusion. lol

What's the Difference Between Gophers & Prairie Dogs?


Gophers and prairie dogs seem like similar animals, and in many ways they are -- they are both rodents, and they both burrow in the ground, but many differences distinguish these animals. The gopher family, Geomyidae, contains 35 species in five genera. The five prairie dog species occupy a single genus, Cynomys, within the squirrel family.


Size and Appearance

Gophers are typically much smaller than prairie dogs. Most prairies dogs are about the size of rabbits, weighing between 32 and 64 ounces on average, while the average gopher only weighs between 3 and 5 ounces. Prairie dogs grow to between 12 and 15 inches long, while gophers are typically around half that length. Unlike prairie dogs, gophers have no distinct neck and have pouches in their cheeks used to store and transport food. The two animals can also be distinguished by their tails: a gopher’s tail is hairless, contrasting with the bushy tail of a prairie dog.


Range and Habitat

Throughout Central and North America, gophers live in all sorts of habitats, provided there’s enough vegetation to feed them and they’re able to dig in the soil. Prairie dogs are more specialized, living in prairie and open grasslands in North America. Gophers carefully plug the entrances to their burrows to control the temperature and moisture level inside and to keep out light and other animals. Prairie dogs leave the entrances to their burrows open so they can come and go.


Diet and Feeding Habits

Gophers eat mostly tubers and the roots of other plants. Prairie dogs eat these as well, but they also feed on grasses, weeds, blossoms and seeds above ground. Gophers eat from inside their burrows, pulling their food down from below. In contrast, prairie dogs emerge from their burrows each morning and spend most of their day foraging for food on the surface.


Behavior

The social prairie dog lives in family groups that cooperate, sharing food, grooming and protecting each other from predators. The black-tailed prairie dog, for example, lives in large networks of burrows called “towns” that can cover hundreds of square miles. Gophers are solitary creatures and come together only to mate. They reproduce year-round, in contrast to prairie dogs who have a single annual mating season each spring. Gophers spend nearly their entire lives below ground, coming to the surface only rarely, whereas prairie dogs spend most of their waking hours outside their burrows, retreating to their dens to rest or when threatened by a predator.

http://animals.pawnation.com/whats-difference-between-gophers-prairie-dogs-4009.html

https://pdogblog.wordpress.com/2010/12/27/what-exactly-are-prairie-dogs-anyway/#more-69

The word gopher derives from the French gaufre, referring to something that appears honeycombed by holes. Many animals that use tunnels in the ground are called gophers, including the gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer), gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), gopher frog (Rana capito), and pocket gophers (rodents in the genera Geomys and Thomomys). People from Europe and eastern North America were familiar with tree squirrels, but when they came to the prairies and saw mammals without bushy tails going in and out of burrows, the settlers did not realize they were looking at a true, but ground-dwelling, squirrel. Although the name spermophile (derived from the genus name Spermophilus) was in use, it never became part of the everyday language. Instead, frontiers-people adopted the name gopher, already commonly used for other species of ground squirrels living in various part of the USA. Consequently, many different species of ground squirrels throughout North America are called gophers, which further adds to the confusion.

http://research.uleth.ca/rgs/faq.cfm

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Dunno, no one I knew had issues with having coyotes or badgers on their land. They were always around, but I was never a part of any action against them. As far as I know, no one ever wants to kill hawks, foxes, owls, and the like. Or wait fox hunting is a thing... nevermind.

http://www.abbynews.com/news/195303621.html


Although these traps aren't selective about the species they trap...


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/06/06/bc-conibear-traps-dog.html

http://www.furbearerdefenders.com/fur/trapping/trapping-incidents

 

[Miss*Bijou]

The biggest chain I saw was 4 and I WILL swerve to run over them! Just being neighbourly and all.

chevy529, wtf? I expect this from that yahoo, stormrider..but not from you. Shaking my head..pretty disappointing, I must say.

 

[Sleepmonger]

I'm talking about prairie dogs. I'm not talking about gophers. Prairie dogs are not one of the species that are referred to as gophers. Ground squirrels and other gophers are rodents like prairie dogs but they are not part of the same family. Some species of gophers do indeed reproduce quickly however prairie dogs do not.

I see... the post you quoted of mine was in response to haymitch's post about gophers, and was about gophers. So, I thought you would have been talking about them in your response to me.

It would be great if we could stick to prairie dogs, seeing as this is the species discussed in the videos and the one mentioned in the title. Might lead to less confusion. lol

Sounds acceptable. Cute animals, and interesting videos... Don't know much else about them myself.

http://www.abbynews.com/news/195303621.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/06/06/bc-conibear-traps-dog.html

http://www.furbearerdefenders.com/fur/trapping/trapping-incidents

Hmm, none of those articles really have all that much to do with what you quoted of mine...

"Dunno, no one I knew had issues with having coyotes or badgers on their land. They were always around, but I was never a part of any action against them. As far as I know, no one ever wants to kill hawks, foxes, owls, and the like. Or wait fox hunting is a thing... nevermind."

No one I knew had issues with coyotes or badgers, but I'm not saying they arent considered pests by some. Also, most of those articles seem to be about beaver traps, animals which can do serious damage in the right circumstances. I dont really condone or care for trapping, but my livelyhood doesnt depend on protecting my land from the animals that are trapped, so I cant really say much.

Also, it seems the largest concern isnt for the welfare of the beavers, but of the pets in the community. Perhaps if people kept their animals on their own land it would not be quite as serious of an issue.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

I see... the post you quoted of mine was in response to haymitch's post about gophers, and was about gophers. So, I thought you would have been talking about them in your response to me.

Aaaah I see. My bad then.

Hmm, none of those articles really have all that much to do with what you quoted of mine...

Well the first is about a coyote caught in a trap so....not sure what you mean.
It's a coyote... http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/...y-leg-hold-trap-sparks-renewed-calls-for-ban/

The other two were just an additional comment I made about the traps, not necessarily as a response to your comment.

Also, it seems the largest concern isnt for the welfare of the beavers, but of the pets in the community. Perhaps if people kept their animals on their own land it would not be quite as serious of an issue.

Not sure for who the welfare of beavers isn't the largest concern? How can you tell the traps were mainly for beavers? Some specific beavers, some were specifically about coyotes and others didn't include details about which animals the traps were meant for.

Pets, like kids, get away and don't always do what they're supposed to. It is something that happens. That doesn't mean they should get trapped and get injured horribly or die. And even so, other situations I read occurred while people were present with the dogs and walking on a trail or whatnot. And cats have their own rules that aren't interested in where one property ends or begins.

We like to brag of our big brains and claim it's what makes us better than all other animals and more important, therefore justified in deciding how to control populations of animals we have decided are pests....well, the least we could do is use that big superior brain on finding non lethal solutions to our problems instead of going around gruesomely killing millions of animals.

If you ever have some time, you should watch this episode.
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Shows/Shows/The+Nature+of+Things/ID/2363183150/

Obviously anyone who wants to put a little bit of thought and effort into it can find a way that doesn't involve slaughtering animals right, left and centre. The issue is not about being unable to find non lethal ways, the issue is about people preferring to slaughter. There is no other explanation for not having come up with better ways in 2013. We've been in space, on the moon, invented the internet, computers, all kinds of gadgets and airplanes without pilots that can spy and drop bombs from high up in the sky...but figuring out how to co-exist with wildlife and find non lethal solutions.. well, that's just impossible for us to do. I mean, seriously.