Watching the prairie dogs scamper at the Valles Caldera. They aren't bashful. Loud and bold ground squirrels. They are named based on their habitat and warning call, which sounds similar to a dog's bark. The name was in use at least as early as 1774.The 1804 journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition note that in September 1804, they "discovered a Village of an animal the French Call the Prairie Dog". | New Mexico Nomad

Prairie dogs are named for their habitat and warning call, which sounds similar to a dog's bark. They also wag / twitch their tail when excited. | Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary