MEXICAN LLANERO PUPPY: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, DATA - BIOLOGY - 2025

The Mexican Plains Dog (Cynomys mexicanus) is a ground squirrel, known as the “Mexican Prairie Dog”, named “dog” for its canine barking-like calls. Belonging to the Sciuridae family, it is a native breed of Mexico. At present, it is restricted to a range no greater than 500Km² to the northwest of Mexico, between the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León and San Luis Potosí.

The Mexican Llanero puppy has a robust body with short ears, small legs, and a furry tail speckled with black. On the back, its coat is yellowish brown to cinnamon with numerous black and gray hairs.

Source: pexels.com

They reproduce once a year and their gestation time is 30 days. Both males and females reach sexual maturity at one year of age; however, males tend to wait up to two years to mate.

They are social animals that live in underground burrows, forming small groups or family groups of 6 individuals. In turn, several gangs form a colony of up to 100 individuals. They feed on herbs, grasses, and shrubs, although they can also eat small insects.

The prairie dog plays an important role in the Mexican plateau, because the excavations for the construction of their shelters favor soil aeration, porosity, the cycle of nutrients and, at the same time, increase the calcification of the surface. from the soil, accelerating the erosion process.

Increased aeration and porosity benefit plant growth, as there is greater availability of water and organic matter. Despite this, humans have used a large part of their habitat for agricultural, livestock and even recreational purposes, which has contributed to a considerable decrease of at least 60% of the population.

For this reason, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has declared the species C. mexicanus in danger of extinction. For its conservation, three protected natural areas have been established, under an ecological conservation regime, with a total of 15,000 hectares between La Hediondilla, La Soledad plain and La Trinidad.

Features and Description

With a robust body, the puppy can vary in mass and weigh 300 to 900 grams in spring and 500 to 2,000 grams in the fall. They reach a length of 38 to 44 cm, the male being slightly larger than the female. Both its tail and its legs are small; despite this, her feet are long with five digits on each foot. They have a thick, black, curved claw on each digit.

The coat is yellowish brown to cinnamon on the back, with numerous black and greyish hairs. She also has many black whiskers that can be 3 cm in length. Unlike other ground squirrels, the Plains Dog does not have a dark brown or black line above its eyes.

They shed their fur at least twice a year. Each shedding period lasts at least two weeks, during which they completely shed their fur, renewing the thickness of their coat that will protect them from the heat or winter cold.

Its head is rounded and wide. The denture is made up of 1/1 incisors, 0/0 canine, 1/1 premolars and 3/3 molars for a total of 20 teeth. The upper incisors are bright yellow, and contain grooves on the inner surfaces. Complete permanent dentition occurs 2 to 3 months after the hatchling emerges from the burrow, during its first year.

The ears are very short and lack an auditory pin; Despite this, they have large auditory bullae, with a maximum hearing of between 500 and 4,000 Hz. The tail is hairy, reaches a length of 8 to 11 cm and has black hairs in the distal half, along the lateral margins as well. as in the tip, which distinguishes it from other species of the genus Cynomys.

Males live no more than 5 years, while females can live 8 years. The percentage of juveniles that survive at least 1 year is related to the body mass at the time of emerging from the burrow.

Communication includes vocalizations, hopping, tail wagging, and olfactory traces. Also, within the colonies, friendly behaviors that include kisses, grooming, greetings and games are usually observed; in the same way, between individuals there can be confrontations and persecutions.

Habitat and distribution

The species is restricted in the Mexican plateau, between arid grassland valleys and intermountain basins, with elevations of 1,600 to 2,200 meters above sea level. The territory is surrounded by arid scrub and short pastures characteristic of calcareous soils.

They usually dig their burrows in rocky, sandy and clay soils; however, very sandy soils are unfavorable for excavation. They are capable of colonizing and / or recolonizing old farmland if they provide good structural support and depth for excavation. Puppies avoid areas with steep slopes, as steep environments are often rocky.

Generally, underground burrows are 5-10 meters long and 2-3 meters deep, but they can reach lengths up to 30 meters and 5 meters deep. Inside the burrows, there are usually chambers or rooms arranged for the brood of the young individuals, covered with dry grass.

Source: wikipedia.org

The Llanero puppy is endemic to Mexico and is currently restricted in a range of approximately 500 km² to the northwest of Mexico, in the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León and San Luis Potosí. Its distribution is limited to the north and west by the Sierra Madre Oriental, and to the south and east by hills and semi-arid grasslands.

Taxonomy

The Mexican plains dog belongs to the order Rodentia, of the Sciuridae family. Sciurids are a family of sciuromorphic rodents that contain squirrels, marmots, and prairie dogs. The Cynomys mexicanus species was described by Merriam in 1892.

The scientific name of the genus Cynomys means "rodent dog" in Greek, due to the bark they usually emit during their fights, as well as motivated by their taxonomic relationship with rodents.

Reproduction

The Mexican bulldog is polygamous; that is, they have more than one sexual partner. Males emit a mating call similar to the sound of an alarm call. If the female wishes to mate, allow the sexually active adult male to approach. The copulation takes place underground.

They reproduce only once a year. The gestation period is 30 days and begins from the beginning of March to the beginning of April. The female lays an average of 4 young per litter; newborns are born pink, hairless and blind.

Pigmentation occurs after 12 days; the coat begins to develop at 2 weeks, completing at 3 or 4 weeks after birth. The eyes open after 4 to 5 weeks. Each newborn weighs between 15 and 20 grams.

Puppies are suckled for a period of 40 to 50 days after birth. The female has 8 breasts that remain swollen until weaning is complete. The young remain underground for 5 to 6 weeks; By fulfilling that time, young people become independent from their parents.

Both males and females reach sexual maturity at one year of age. However, males tend to wait up to two years. The breeding season lasts 90 days, beginning in late January and ending in March. Males begin producing their sperm in December (before the breeding season) and interrupt this process in April.

Feeding

They are mainly herbivorous animals and sometimes feed on small insects. The grasses dominate their diet during the months of April and May; while in the months of June to August, they feed on herbs.

During the plant's growth periods, the puppy feeds on stems and roots. Cacti and yucca are another source of food for them. Living in such arid areas, they get their water primarily from plants.

Herbs represent 60% of the annual diet of puppies, 14 to 17% are represented by shrubs and 22% are represented by grasses. This change in diet may be due to the decrease in the nutritional quality of the grass as it matures.

Mexican puppies have a wide range of land predators including gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), bobcats (Lynx rufus), coyotes (Canis latrans), pumas (Puma concolor) and snakes, and also aerial predators such as the eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) and peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus).

Behavior

They are diurnal animals. However, most of their lives are spent in burrows. If the temperature exceeds 27 ° C, they hide in their burrows to cool off. Puppies do not hibernate, but they still rely heavily on fat stores during long periods of cold temperatures.

Both genders provide parental care; both the male and the female build and maintain their shelters. Males are primarily responsible for territorial defense. After 5 to 6 weeks, the young are completely independent.

The Mexican Llanero puppy is a social animal. They live in family groups, with two to three females with a breeding male. After 2 to 3 years, they have 6 individuals that make up the crew. Individual rooms are located close to each other, creating colonies of up to 100 individuals.

Their colonial lifestyle increases the survival rate. They grow vegetation around the habitat to decrease the early detection of predators. They often create a series of 4-7 short, shallow escape burrows 8-10 meters away from their nest burrows. Escape burrows increase the area in which they can forage while experiencing minimal risk of predation.

Within the colonies, friendly behaviors characterized by greetings, kisses and games can be observed. Also, aggressive behaviors are observed that include persecution and confrontation.

They can sit leaning on the back of their body, standing straight. They use this position to watch, eat or socialize. Instead they use all four legs to walk.

Hierarchy

Larger (ie heavier) individuals tend to dominate the lighter members. If there are two males of reproductive age in the same gang, the larger male dominates. Similarly, the heaviest females reproduce first and the pregnant and lactating females dominate the lighter, non-reproductive females.

Communication

Communication between individuals can occur through vocal, visual and olfactory signals. Voice signals consist of almost nondescript calls and occur between close relatives.

Alert calls are similar to the barking of a small dog and are used when a threat has been detected, such as the presence of a predator. As danger approaches, the barking speed increases.

The characteristic call of the puppy is known as jump-yip, where the individual perches on its two hind legs and emits a vocalization of yip. After the initial call, nearby individuals repeat the signal, and it travels through all the prairie dogs.

Visually, in the face of danger, the prairie dog wags its tail in a back and forth motion. They are also known to drag their tails along the ground as a way to leave an olfactory trail with their anal glands.

References

1. Cynomys mexicanus: Mexican prairie dog. Taken from animaldiversity.org
2. Mexican llanero little dog. Taken from biodiversity.gob.mx
3. Mexican Llanero puppy (Cynomys mexicanus). Taken from animalsextincion.es
4. Cynomys. Taken from Wikipedia.org