Prairie Dogs: Bloodthirsty herbivores. Why did these animals become famous for their cruelty towards their own and others? (8 photos)

Animals did not invent the antimonopoly service and actively use it. Every species uses at least a couple of clever tricks to compete with other animals. But the black-tailed prairie dogs went wild. For the sake of green grass, they go to the most bloodthirsty measures.





At first glance, you wouldn’t recognize this little animal as a merciless tyrant. Just look at those beady eyes. How can such a charmer commit a crime?! And even after a quick study, their life is an exemplary example of strong family relationships. The animals were unlucky to be born in the harsh prairies of North America. So, like Dominic Toretto, prairie dogs rely on family.



Finding shelter in the wasteland is not a trivial task. Rodents have no choice but to build it themselves. For this purpose, prairie dogs are united in construction teams. Each team has its own foreman - an alpha male. He's big, strong and mean. Several mothers and their numerous offspring obey him. One family can have up to 26 individuals.





Having united, several families are digging grandiose underground complexes. This is a whole bunker with chambers: in some the prairie dogs sleep, in others they store food, in others they store water. All this beauty goes 5 meters deep.



In good times, rodents get along well with each other. They peacefully divide the territories of the underground city, feed together and even warn each other about danger. By the way, people called these rodents dogs because of their scream - their warning cry is very similar to a jerky bark.



And if complete idyll reigns between prairie dogs, then neighbors of other species have a hard time. The dog city requires a lot of food, and its owners do not intend to share their fields with other herbivores. Every year the average prairie dog kills up to 7 gophers and mice! And it would be nice if she ate them later. But no! Prairie dogs are pure herbivores; they do not need their meat. In this bloody way, the animal protects the pastures of its settlement from encroachment.



Well, if famine begins in the steppe, bloody massacres begin in the dog settlement itself. To save food for their offspring, females hunt the cubs of their sisters and friends. Dozens of children, from mole rats to almost adult teenagers, die in their own nests.

Only the beginning of general hibernation at the end of August can save them from death in the competitive struggle. The team will sleep until March and will greedily pounce on fresh grass.



Grown-up females remain in the city, but young males are driven out by older and more experienced alphas. They will go in search of another metropolis and try to overthrow the local heads of families. They also do this in a far from democratic way.



My rating for black-tailed prairie dogs is 5 out of 10. These rodents are a pound of concentrated meanness wrapped in fluffy fur. Animals consist of beauty, cuteness, anger and bloodthirstiness in equal proportions. That's their assessment accordingly.