Prairie dogs can only be found in North America. They build their colonies throughout mountain states in the Rocky Mountains, particularly Wyoming, Northwest Colorado, Northeaster Utah, and southern Montana. They used to have a much larger range in the United States, but hunting and eradication efforts have decreased their range. Prairie dogs prefer dry, high-altitude areas.

Prairie dogs are small, furry animals. The males are slightly larger than the females. Their fur is light brown to gray with a dark patch above and below their eyes. There are two primary versions, the black-tailed and Mexican prairie dog — and both live in low, dry grasslands. The black-tailed prairie dog is larger and the more abundant of the two species. It can be found living in groups on the grasslands and prairies in Canada and on down through the western plains of the United States to Mexico. The Mexican prairie dog, the other species of non-mountain territories, is very rare only living in a select number of places in Mexico.

They range from 8-14 inches in length, from head to tail for the males and slightly less for the females. They typically weigh between 1-3lbs when fully grown.

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Ground squirrels can be found living all over the planet. The America red squirrel live in forest all over North and Central America. Arctic squirrels live in the tundra of Canada. There are Mohave squirrels that live in areas of the Mojave Desert in California. Clearly, squirrels adapt and survive to the surroundings in which they live.

It should be noted that there are differences between ground squirrels and tree squirrels. The difference is fairly obvious, where ground squirrels when scared will run into a burrow or den, compared to a tree squirrel, that will run and climb a tree to avoid a predator or threat.

You can find ground squirrels being most active during the day. They do spend a great deal of their time underground in burrows where they sleep, store food, raise their young, and avoid danger and predators. When they dig their burrows, they will make unsightly mounds that can bury grass and small plants. Many homeowners and landscapers take great care to rid their property and projects of ground squirrels. These animals can hurt trees, bushes, shrubs, and vines because they will chew on them for food, causing further damage to property.

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The aptly named eastern cottontail rabbit is a medium-sized rabbit, about 12-24 inches in length, long ears, and weighs from 1-5 lbs. Its hind legs are about twice as long as its front legs and it has non-retractable claws at the end of each toe. It has gray and brown fur on the top of its body that is very soft and fine and the hairs get white at the tips, giving the coat a frosted appearance. Its tail is bright white, like a cotton ball, which it holds up when running. The tail does not change color much throughout the year.

Many people have witnessed cottontails chasing each other and appearing to be playing with one another at night. This is actually a part of their courting rituals that happens before mating. Some people refer to it as a running nighttime dance, which is a definite way to determine if a cottontail rabbit is healthy or not.

If a cottontail rabbit is chased, it has a very interesting way to avoid predation. A rabbit will make several long bounds away to gain some distance, but will then begin to turn sharply going left, then back right quickly. Typically, a cottontail will run way from an enemy in a way that makes a giant circle back to where the chase began. Rabbit hunters know this, so they will use dogs to chase a rabbit and wait where the chase began for the rabbit to return.

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