I never realized how much I was missing at the Zoo by just going once every couple of years or so.

I had always thought that if you've seen the Zoo once, you've seen it a thousand times.

Since I got my annual pass and my Canon Rebel XSi, and the doctor told me to quit Playing in the Rain and get out and do something

("But I am doing something, doctor."
"I mean that exercises your body and not just your fingers."
"Ha! I use voice recognition software, so I rarely type."
"I charge $250 an hour...."
"Bye, Doc.")

I've found little things at the Zoo that I had always walked by because they weren't big and exciting

(why do we have such admiration for things that are big?)

like the pandas, or the polar bears, or the elephants and giraffes.

I've been making it a point to look in the smaller exhibits when I walk by them. Look at this little guy who was eating

(the best time to go to the Zoo is 9:00 a.m. because all the wildlife is getting fed or waking up to do exercises, like me)

and decided to be real photogenic for me.

For those of you who don't recognize him, he's a black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus). He is native to the dry plains from Mexico north to Canada, basically "tornado alley." They are mostly vegetarian, eating grasses, weeds, roots, and blossoms, but they will eat insects if times are tough.

The first time I ever saw a black-tailed prairie dog was up at the San Diego Wild Animal Park a couple of months ago where they have a larger exhibit. I got four good pictures before they scurried underground:

Of course, they are not dogs at all. Rather, they are a rodent, more akin to a ground squirrel. One wonders where they got the name "prairie dog." Ah-ha! But I know! Their warning call is very similar to a dog's bark. Now you know!

There are five species: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs.

Other intersting facts about prairie dogs:

1. The name "prairie dog" goes back to at least 1774, with Lewis & Clark documenting them in their 1804 journals.
2. It's genus name, Cynomys, derives from the Greek for "dog mouse."
3. Prairie dogs are highly social and live in cities that can span hundreds of acres.
4. A prairie dog family usually consists of one male and two to four females. I know some humans who would like that arrangement!
5. One a pup reaches sexual maturity, dad kicks them out of the house, forcing them to start their own family. Hmmm. I know some humans who would like that arrangement, too!
6. Being social animals with a strict hierarchy, they often visit other families and greet them with a kiss (see picture at right). Hmmmm.
7. At one time prairie dogs were killed because horses and people would step into their tunnels and break their feet and ankles. We now know that prairie dog tunnel systems help prevent water runoff and erosion. They also help change the composition of the soil in a region by reversing soil compaction caused by cattle grazing.
8. The largest individual family home found had tunnels going down 16 feet and out 98 feet.
9. As with human homes (aren't these human similarities fascinating?), the prairie dog home has a main entrance and several emergency entrances and exits.
10. Prairie dog pups are born blind and furless, needing constant attention from mommy for about 30 days.
11. The prairie dog is considered a keystone species, meaning that it and its home serve the needs of other species. For example, they are the primary diet for several species of ferrets, foxes, eagles, badgers, and hawks. Several birds rely on prairie dog burrows for nesting areas, and bison, antelope, and deer have shown a preference for grazing on the same land used by prairie dogs.
12. Prairie dogs are extremely susceptible to bubonic plague, with many wild colonies being wiped out.
13. "Prairie dogging" is a term used to refer to the action of several people simultaneously looking over the walls of their cubicles in response to a noise or other distraction.
14. The prairie dog is the mascot of the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico.
15. Prairie dogs starred in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" in the desert scenes.

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8. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Remodeling your home....
9. Are you a complainer?
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17. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: A view of forever from Mount Soledad
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19. San Diego home inspections: Other uses for chimneys....
20. Mornings with Mother and Father Nature: Fire in the boondocks

Please join me in these special ActiveRain groups:

1. Out and About - Share specific events, places, and things to do with your target audience.
2. NAR 2009 Convention San Diego - Coming to the Convention in November? Check in here.
3. Guerrilla Marketing Tactics - Marketing that requires mostly ingenuity, creativity, time, and energy.
4. Inspired By Nature - Where you can come to relax among Mother and Father Nature's fauna and flora.
5. Classical Music - Share classical music events with your target audience.
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