When I headed to Montana to visit the American Prairie, I had bison on my mind. They are the quintessential plains animal and North America's largest land mammal. But what I didn't expect was for a ...

When I headed to Montana to visit the American Prairie, I had bison on my mind. They are the quintessential plains animal and North America’s largest land mammal. But what I didn’t expect was for a ...

Learn why prairie dogs are ecosystem engineers, how they communicate, and why they are vital to North American grasslands.

The prairie dog caught in Trap 69 was angry. And who could blame her? After waking up in her burrow on a mid-September morning, she’d waddled innocently outside for a breakfast of mini marshmallows ...

Colorado State University researchers have identified priority areas for the conservation of the black-tailed prairie dog in the United States, extending from Montana to Texas and New Mexico to ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. Most people don’t think twice after hearing the frantic ...

The collective stare of environmental activists penetrated the pulpit in the Longmont City Council chambers on Nov. 12, 2024. After a barrage of statements from the public calling for the city to put ...

Researchers have identified priority areas for conserving the black-tailed prairie dog in the United States. Protecting these regions will also benefit North America's Central Grasslands and the many ...

Wild black-tailed prairie dogs use alarm calls to warn one another of predators, and some grassland birds are listening in. Photo credit: Andrew Dreelin, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation ...

This study, conducted from 2015-19 in the Thunder Basin National Grassland, may be the first to specifically examine the multispecies impacts of a wide-scale plague outbreak, which reduced the area ...

Prairie dogs emerge from their burrow in a colony on American Prairie in Montana. Prairie dogs, once one of the most abundant animals on the prairie, now occupy 2% of their historic range. Credit: ...