Stats

Lifespan: 3-5 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Burrowing
Breeding: Live Birth
Defense: Burrowing
Status: Uncommon

About

A stout, burrowing rodent that lives in sprawling underground 'towns' across the Great Plains. Its alarm calls are so sophisticated they can encode the size, shape, color, and speed of an approaching predator.

Life cycle

1.
newborn pup
A blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
2.
juvenile
A weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
3.
adult
Fully grown and self-sufficient.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Cynomys
Species: Cynomys ludovicianus