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Article: TALKING A BLUE STREAK FROM A BLACK HOLE PRAIRIE DOG SPECIES' IDLE CHATTER ACTUALLY A LANGUAGE, PROF SAYS.(City Desk/Local)
- Article from:
- Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
- Article date:
- February 24, 2004
- Author:
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Byline: Gary Gerhardt, Rocky Mountain News
Ever wonder what prairie dogs are chirping about while they stand on the lip of their mounds?
Well, they could be discussing you, or a coyote, a domestic dog or a red-tailed hawk.
And more remarkable, each vocalization contains descriptive information about the intruder, including general size, color and speed of travel of the predator.
"I have studied the Gunnison's prairie dog for 20 years, recording their vocalizations, and they recognize and tell others about movements of people and animals in their colony and use different vocalizations to describe each," said Con Slobodchikoff, of ...