Young Prairie Dogs Appear in Vienna Zoo

As early as mid-May, the six black-tailed prairie dogs were born at the Schönbrunn Zoo. Since the rodents are born naked and blind, they were cared for by their mother in an underground burrow for about a month - by now, zoo visitors can regularly observe the young animals on the surface, according to a press release from the Schönbrunn Zoo on Thursday.

Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs in the Squirrel Family

The black-tailed prairie dogs, like the native marmots, belong to the squirrel family and are native to the vast steppes of North America. "They owe their name to their black tail tip and their typical alarm call, which sounds like barking and warns conspecifics of predators such as birds of prey, coyotes, or snakes," said curator Rupert Kainradl.

In the wild, a black-tailed male forms a group with a female, and the individual groups join together to form huge colonies. In these, social structures and bonds are formed, which are strengthened through grooming, physical contact, and sleeping together. According to Kainradl, the rodents, with their branched tunnel systems that function like underground cities and where the young spend their first weeks, loosen the soil and thus contribute to maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

(APA/Red)

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