Prairie dog

The prairie dog is a burrowing rodent native to North America.

Public domain picture from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [full size image]

Named Cynomys ludovicianus. The name ludovicianus comes from Ludvig/Louis?, named after the 1805 [Lewis and Clark expedition]? where prairie dogs were first identified for scientific study.

The average size is 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm) long.