prairie dog

/ˌprɛri dɔg/

/ˈprɛri dɒg/

Other forms: prairie dogs

A prairie dog isn't a dog at all — it's a squirrel-like North American rodent. Prairie dogs live in complex burrows full of tunnels located in prairies or grasslands.

Prairie dogs got their name from the barking sounds they make to communicate about approaching predators. Early U.S. settlers traveling through the plains in the 18th century heard their barks and named them prairie dogs. After Lewis and Clark made the journey west in 1804, Merriwether Lewis described prairie dogs in his journal as "barking squirrels."

Definitions of prairie dog

1. noun

   any of several rodents of North American prairies living in large complex burrows having a barking cry
   synonyms: prairie marmot

   types:

   Cynomys ludovicianus, blacktail prairie dog

   tail is black tipped

   Cynomys gunnisoni, whitetail prairie dog

   tail is white tipped

   type of:

   gnawer, rodent

   relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing