Christiansburg Elementary School
Submitted by:m. Powers, Grade fifth
Christiansburg,Va.,U.S.A
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| Prairie Dog |
Why Study This Topic?
My animal is the Pairie
dog. It burrows deep in the ground
of the earth. I would like to know
more about the Prairie Dog such as where it gets
its food, and how it survives during the tough periods of its life.
What was Already Known
I already knew where
the Prairie Dog lives, how it gets its food ,what it eats,
when it gets its food, and that the Prairie Dog is nocturnal. The
Prairie dog lives in deep burrows. I knew that the Prairie Dog
gets it's food from under rocks and grass. The
Prairie Dog eats bugs from dirt and mud. It
gets food at night so it's predators
won't see it, so then when the Prairie dog gets a chance
to eat, in may eat without a disturbance. The Prairie dog is endangered,
because it has so many predators. This is only
the begining of my search, but when I finish it'll be great.
Habitat Requirements
The Prairie dog eats bugs
that crawl right in front of it. Then the
Prairie Dog snatches it off the ground
and eats it. There are rain falls in
the prairies, so there are puddles. The
Prairie dog gets its water from these puddles.
On the Prairie, the Prairie Dog builds
its burrows with its claws. A normal brurrow
is about 3 -feet deep. The Prairie Dog lives
on prairie with no trees. The prairie has other
inhibitants such as the Black-footed-ferret, the eagle,
and the antelope.
Adaptataion
The Prairie dog is a prey of several
animals. I only know one of the Prairie dog's
predators, but by the end of my search I'll know many more. I
think that the eagle is one of its
predators. The prairie dog is a lot like
a cat and and a beaver without
the tails. The Prairie dog is like
a cat because it likes to play
a lot, and they both are fury. That's
all I know about its adaptataion.
Endangerment
`The Prairie dog is endangered
because it has so many predators that
want to eat it and bury its bones
in it own old burrow that it used
to live in. I think that people
should put the baby Prairie dogs in
a zoo for shelter, so its predators
don't eat it. I don't know any more
about this subject.
Restoration Actions
The Prairie dog has many
hunters who like to hunt them down
or capture them. Hunters should not hunt
for them any more, because if they know that
they're endangered, they should might get sent to
jail for killing one.
What Was Learned
I learned a lot of
things. I learned that the Prairie dog stores
its food in the winter so it
can still eat in its burrow. I also learned
that Prairie dogs get their food at
night, and that the Black-footed ferret is its main predator.
Conclusions From Research
I thought that I did'nt
know anything, until I thought about
what I read. I imagined that I was
a Prairie dog, and it helped me understand it eats and
where it sleeps.
Bibliography
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/98/burrow/index.html
http://www.desertusa.com/dec96/du_pdogs.html
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Christiansburg Elementary |
Last updated on January 25, 2000
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