Prairie Dog
a name given to either of the two species of Cynomys, but especially to C. ludovicianus, from the fancied resemblance of its cry to the bark of a small dog, whence it has been also called the barking squirrel. It is about a foot long, reddish-brown above, lighter beneath. Its habits are eminently PRAIRIE DOG social; it forms large communities on the prairies, each burrow having a little hillock at its entrance, and excavated passages connect the burrows, which are sometimes shared by the burrowing owl.