Praire dogs are colonial rodents that are found throughout the western part of the United States. Although there are five different species of prairie dogs, the most commonly studied are the Black- tailed prairie dog and Gunnison's prairie dog. The behavior of prairie dogs greatly depends on the large amount of predation that prairie dogs face. Some common predators of prairie dogs are birds of prey, badgers, coyotes, and black- footed ferrets. For protection from predators and weather, praire dogs live in burrows. In addition to burrows, prairie dogs may give a vocalization known as the antipredator call.

Because of this attachment to their burrows and the high predictability of the grasses that the prairie dogs live off of, prairie dogs are territorial. Black- tailed prairie dogs live in polygynous groups of one breeding male to two or four breeding females and their offspring, called coteries. Prairie dogs are generally amicable towards other prairie dogs within the coteries (except during breeding season) and hostile towards other prairie dogs who are not in their coterie. These coteries are formed by female groups of kin. It is believed that these female groups where first formed for predator protection, which then evolved into food protection. Then a male claims the female group as his own for breeding. Because the male protects the land in which the females live off of, the type of polygyny that prairie dogs use is known as resource defense polygyny. The dominance hierarchy within the coterie is based on body sized.

Polygyny is able to exist within prairie dogs because their young grow up fast. Therefore, there is little need to have the full- time paternal care that monogamy allows. In addition, polygyny allows males to be as reproductively successful as possible because of the multiple females that they can mate with. Polygyny is most prevelent when food is patchily distributed and there is thus a great need for protection of food resources.

There is some evidence of kin selection within prairie dogs. Some of the main situations in which this type of selection occurs is in defense from predators through the antipredator call and cooperative breeding. The antipredator call may exist to warn nondescendent offspring, although there are elements of selfish behavior that can account for the antipredator call. In addition, cooperative breeding exists when there is no better alternative. Prairie dogs are able to distinguish kin through social interaction within the home coterie territory, not through appearance. Because of this ability to recognize kin through direct social learning, it makes some element of kin selection possible.

Prairie dogs are also known for their highly developed communication. This communication is mainly studied in the form of the antipredator call. Researchers concluded that this warning system is highly descriptive, allowing prairie dogs to warn other prairie dogs of dangers that have never before been seen in their habitat.

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