Development of Behavior in Mexican Prairie Dogs (Cynomys mexicanus)
Mexican Prairie Dogs are categorized as rodents, yet not a lot of studies have been done on their development of behavior. Starting with reproduction their gestation length is approximately one month for this species of prairie dog. Males testes seem to be pigmented and enlarged with sperm found within the testes during mating season. When the adult prairie dogs were put together, males and females, in one cage they should no anger towards each other. And it was observed that when adults were put in a cage with a nursing prairie dog they would huddle near her. A nursing female would almost always have her young nursing from her. When the nursing female had her young removed she would immediately tend to her own needs which would be eating and drinking. When her young were removed from their mother they would make crying sounds which would result in the nervous behavior from the mother. This behavior from both the mother and the young disappeared with time as the young grew older. When the young were returned back to the mother she would nuzzle them and lick them which seems to be a sign of recognition, and maybe cleansing. When the baby prairie dogs were born they were born with their eyes shut and hairless. It takes about forty days for them to fully open their eyes. Like with most mammals the males are larger than the females in weight and length. The prairie dog tails seem to be very important for as a visual aid at an early point for the young. Later as the prairie dogs grew older the tail could be characterized to certain behaviors the prairie dogs would display such as when exploring the tail would be in an upright position. Another important tactic that was noticeable at an early age was the rapid growth rate of the feet of the prairie dogs, suggesting that their ability to move is important and crucial to their survival. The prairie dogs displayed and variety of calls as they were growing. Some of those calls disappeared with age. Other calls became more prominent and distinct with age. Three calls which stood out in particular was the a crying call which is seen only in the young, an alarm call which remains with the prairie dogs their whole lives, and an elated call which also remains with the prairie dogs. All the calls had some kind of harmonic pattern and frequency. The growls and screams had no harmony to them, but the screams were at higher frequency. As the pups grew older they were more active and would play fight. They become capable of attacking by biting, attacking with their limbs, and hissing. Male siblings which tried to mate with females were always resisted. The prairie dogs seem to mate all year round when in living in a fairly warm environment. The prairie dogs that inhabit northern areas where the temperatures are much cooler go into hibernation and therefore have a shorter mating and growing season. When the prairie dogs that live in northern habitats were placed in a warmer environment their reproducing schedule did not change. So from this observation one could see that the timing of reproduction has a lot to do with the genes.
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