Reproduction and Behavior of the Mexican Prairie Dog (Cynomys Mexicanus) (Notes) (Report‪)‬

The Mexican prairie dog (Cynomys mexicanus) is an endemic rodent of northeastern Mexico and is considered a keystone species in grasslands communities of the Mexican Plateau (Pizzimenti and McClenaghan, 1974; Detling and Painter, 1983; Scott-Morales, 1984; McCullough and Chesser, 1987; Sharps and Uresk, 1990; Miller et al., 1994; Trevino-Villarreal and Grant, 1998; J. Trevino-Villarreal, in litt.). The species is classified as endangered in Mexico (Diario Oficial de la Federacion, 2001). Despite recent studies of C. mexicanus (Trevino-Villarreal, 1990; Mellink and Madrigal, 1993; Miller et al., 1994; Navarro, 2003; Rioja-Paradela, 2003), its life history is largely unknown and population dynamics are poorly understood. To date, only three studies have included information on reproduction of C. mexicanus, two in the wild (Mellink and Madrigal, 1993; J. Trevino-Villarreal, in litt.) and one of captive individuals (Pizzimenti and McClenaghan, 1974). Our study adds to the limited information for this species.