Prairie Dog Town
Prairie dog sentry on alert. Photo courtesy of John Herron.
4th Grade Activity - Teacher Directions
Summary
Students draw a cross-section of a prairie dog town.
Background:
Prairie dogs are very social and live in groups called "prairie dog
towns." One of these "towns" can cover as much as 1,000 acres
of prairie land such as found in the Panhandle. The town consists of a series
of connected underground burrows. The town is subdivided into "wards"
and the wards are further subdivided into "coteries". A coterie
consists of one adult male, up to four females, and offspring up to two years
of age. Prairie dogs within a ward greet each other with bared teeth, which
is a kind of a "kiss" and a form of recognition. They feed on grass
and herbs during the cool hours of the day. During this time, they also greet
and groom each other. A "sentry" prairie dog always sits at the
opening to a burrow keeping watch. A bark is sounded as a warning for all
to dive into their burrows until the "all clear" signal is given. Read about
the interrelationship of the prairie dog with other species in this excerpt of the Endangered
Species Activity Book
(PDF 277.6 KB). Also find a template for a prairie dog mask in the book.
Skills:
Science: Learned and inherited traits, Adaptations, Community, Populations
Mathematics: Measurement
Art: Design
Materials:
- Paper
- Pencils
- Rulers
Procedure:
- Have students design a prairie dog "town" for a single coterie of one male, three females, and ten offspring under two years of age.
- Allow students to share their drawings with classmates.
- Have students demonstrate their knowledge of prairie dog life by creating a large prairie town of many wards and sentries with their drawings on a bulletin board or wall space.
