The remainder of daylight is spent underground, especially during mid-day when temperatures above ground are high. The black-tailed prairie dog is active all year. In winter, it remains underground for several days when weather is severe, but comes out on sunny afternoons to look for food and bask in the sun. Black-tailed prairie dogs exhibit an elaborate communication system. At least 11 separate calls have been identified, and a variety of postures and displays are utilized.
Physical contact is another method of prairie dog communication.
FOOD Grasses are the preferred food of the prairie dog, and generally makes up about three quarters of its diet. In the fall, broadleaf forbs become more important as green grass is less available. In winter, any available green vegetation is consumed. In the spring and summer, each prairie dog consumes up to two pounds of vegetation per week. In addition to the vegetation it eats, the prairie dog also clips, but does not eat, much vegetation within its colony.