Surface Burrow Densities in a Sample of Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Towns in Gray and Meade Counties, Kansas

Abstract

We conducted surveys on sites (towns) of 27 individual colonies of blacktailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in southwestern Kansas to determine burrow-entrance densities. Mean size of the prairie dog towns surveyed was 16 ha. Estimated mean active burrow-entrance densities were 206/ha, higher than reported for Colorado, Oklahoma, Wyoming, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Active prairie dog burrow-entrance densities are among the criteria used to select reintroduction sites for black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) potentially making the existence of towns with high burrow-entrance densities in Kansas of interest for such efforts if other reintroduction criteria can be met. The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a colony-forming rodent that occurs in mixed and shortgrass prairie areas of the Great Plains and is the only prairie dog species native to Kansas (Hall, 1981; Bee et al., 1981). The dependence of the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) on prairie dogs (Henderson, Springer, and Adrian, 1969; Linder, Dahlgren, and Hillman, 1972; Biggins and Schroeder, 1988) and the recent implementation of black-footed ferret reintroduction plans (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1988) have focused attention on prairie dog habitat. Scant data are available on prairie dog habitat in Kansas. Prairie dogs construct extensive burrow systems, some of which are per'Corresponding author. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.116 on Sun, 18 Sep 2016 06:10:27 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms VOLUME 97, NUMBERS 3-4 103 manent and are inhabited continuously (Smith, 1958). Although prairie dogs excavate some new burrow systems each year, others disappear from lack of use. The total number of burrow entrances changes by fewer than 10/ha annually in undisturbed prairie dog colonies (Hoogland et al., 1987). Although exact data are lacking on the relationship between burrow-entrance densities and black-tailed prairie dog populations, burrow-entrance density is considered an indicator of potential prairie dog abundance (Biggins et al., 1989). We conducted this study to determine burrow-entrance densities on prairie dog towns in southwestern Kansas.