Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)

Prairie dogs, which are small ground squirrels, live only in North America. One of the species that lives here in Albuquerque is the black-tailed prairie dog, like this chubby fellow. They live in complicated underground "towns." Related prairie dogs greet each other by touching their front teeth together. It looks like they're kissing.

Now, prairie dogs are not just cute little guys. Their presence is vital to many other species, including some 170 vertebrates, according to some scientists. One factor that led to the near-extinction of the black-footed ferret is its dependency on the prairie dog for food—as prairie dog populations were wiped out, the ferret was left hungry.

But prairie dogs sometimes get in the way of humans. Here in Albuquerque, people have devised all kinds of ways of moving prairie dog towns to places where they won't interfere with development, including one scheme I remember from several years ago that involved sucking them out of their colonies with a giant vacuum machine. Earlier this month, a colony of prairie dogs was, sadly, poisoned at the vacant lot where they lived. The lot's owner wants to develop or sell it, and he chose to kill the prairie dogs instead of find another way to evict them.

"Language of Prairie Dogs Includes Words for Humans" from LiveScience

Red-necked Pademelon (Thylogale thetis)

The red-necked pademelon (there are other pademelons, including a red-legged one) is a small wallaby that lives in eastern Australia. It's nocturnal for the most part, has one joey a year, and like many animals is threatened by habitat destruction—as well as by domestic dogs and cats, dingos, and other predators.

Here is a nice 19th-century painting of red-necked pademelons.

Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus)

The Bongo is a large African antelope. Both males and females have "lyre-shaped" horns. (I love that description—lyre-shaped.) Their numbers are decreasing, and they're threatened by the destruction of their forest habitat. One idea that might help bongos is the establishment of wildlife corridors that would let them safely travel from one national park to another. To learn more, visit the African Wildlife Foundation's site.

Hooded Seal (Crystophora cristata)

That's not a ball balanced on this seal's nose—it's his nasal cavity! Males of this species (who can be as large as 900 pounds and 9 feet long) can inflate their nasal cavities out their nostrils. They turn inside out "like a glove's fingers," according to one description. They do this when they're courting or particularly angry. That's not the hood of their name, though—the hood is the bump on their nose, which they can also inflate! The hooded seal's Latin name means bladder-carrying, crested.

I wonder if the tradition of training seals to balance red balls on their noses came from observations of this species.

Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus)

This canid lives in South America. He looks, to me, like a cross between a corgi and a kinkajou. But don't worry, he isn't! Every continent except Australia and Antarctica has native wild dogs. (Dingos aren't native to Australia but were introduced. As far as I know, no wild dogs have been introduced to Antarctica yet.)

Guanaco (Lama guanicoe)

This guanaco is for Leigh. He's seen them in the wild. They live in the Andes. They look especially beautiful in front of blue mountains or on the beach.

Here is an extra treat for Daily Mammal visitors (click to enlarge).

Human Being (Homo sapiens)

In a Daily Mammal first, today's mammal is not just a generic depiction of a species, but a portrait of a specific mammalian: my new niece Raecheleia Jonelle, who is exactly one week old tonight.

Raecheleia is a human being, a species about which I think you already know. And a beautiful example she is!