![]() ![]() Usually upon first waking in the morning, prairie dogs will give a territorial call as a sort of roll-call to check if anyone else is awake - the same goes for the territorial call just before submerging for the night. Territorial calls can serve to communicate different messages, and are given contextually. Among white-tailed and Utah prairie dogs, territorial calls are sometimes accompanied by a throw-back of the head, so that it looks like the prairie dog is calling at the sky. ![]() For the black-tailed prairie dog and Mexican prairie dog (the black-tail group), the territorial call is the famous "jump-yip" call described above. For the white-tail group (the white-tailed, Utah, and Gunnison's species) the territorial call can be described as a laughing bark, a staccato call, or a raspy chatter. The most common of all prairie dog vocalizations, the territorial call is multi-purpose and variable. This display is not seen in the white-tail group (white-tailed, Utah, and Gunnison's prairie dogs), and the reasons for this may vary there may be a correlation between the higher sociality and coloniality seen in black-tailed prairie dogs and the use of this display to communicate with a more dense population. Upon witnessing a jump-yip, coterie members will immediately go into alert mode, and will often even join in a chorus of jump-yips, in which they are either responding to the original call or to the threat which elicited the original call. When two prairie dogs break from a territorial dispute. ![]() Immediately after a perceived predator or danger has passed or disappeared from view (called the "all-clear").Upon perceiving and running away from a snake (accompanied by foot-thumping) (see THE PREY ANIMAL).When a prairie dog is startled either by a noise or sudden movement nearby.Some common situations which may elicit a jump-yip include: The jump-yip may communicate alertness, territorial defense, or what we call an “all-clear” signal, and is used in a variety of contexts. The jump-yip appears to be a multi-purpose communication display, but is specifically associated with some type of threat or disturbance, though it is not to be confused with an anti-predator/alarm call which is given when a predator is present and danger is imminent. As the name infers, the display is both visual and auditory, in which a prairie dog jumps upward off its front feet, stretches vertically, and lets out a distinct two-toned bark described as an "AH-aah" or "EE-eee". This is a unique display performed by BTPDs and, although less studied, in Mexican prairie dogs as well. We would be remiss not to pay special brief attention to the famous "jump-yip" call of the black-tailed prairie dog (BTPD). Communication is key to efficient colonial living, promoting unity while maintaining social parameters. Territorial calls reinforce boundaries a squeak may communicate displeasure, or may be a mother's signal for her offspring to follow her and alarm calls expose threats to the unawares. ![]() As colonial animals, prairie dogs use their strong voices to communicate to clan or coterie members. Prairie dogs have a wide repertoire of vocalizations, and ongoing research has sought to understand the nuances of every sound these little rodents make during the course of their day – from territorial calls to barely-audible chirps between mothers and babies, to mating calls and alarm calls. ![]()
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