The Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys udovicianus) is a species of prairie dog native to the Great Plains of the U.S.A. Their range stretches from the Canadian Border, to the Mexican Border. These rodents are very social and live in huge colonies called towns. These towns have extensive tunnel systems everywhere. The biggest prairie dog town was in Texas and was over 25,000 square miles, and was home to an estimated 4 hundred million prairie dogs. That's more than the number of Wildebeest in the average annual migration. Most aren't that big today, but they still hold a lot of prairie dogs. They are incredible burrowers, and can dig very deep, very extensive tunnels. These rodents are also quick above ground, and can run up to 35 m.p.h to escape predators and run back to the burrows. They often don't venture very far from the burrows so they'll easily get to safety. They also graze a lot. They graze on prairie grass, eating more grass than even bison, all in just a day. Prairie dogs towns will also work together to raise the pups. Prairie dogs will often take shifts as sentries, watching for predators like black-footed ferrets, coyotes, badgers, and golden eagles. They'll let out a loud screamed bark known as a "jump-yip".