Download Prairie Dog Script 1 - Waltham High School Library

Tori Zanco & Adriana Joniaux
D Block
May 1, 2013
Prairie Dog Movie Script
Introduction:
Tori: Hey guys this is Tori and
Adriana: ADRIANA!
Both: And we’re going to be teaching you about the prairie dog!
Tori: Adriana, do you know what the scientific name for the prairie dog is?
Adriana: As a matter of fact I do. It is Cynomys Idovivianus.
Tori: Wow, I’m surprised you can even say that because I know I can’t.
Adriana: Good to know. Hey Tori, did you know that the prairie dog is diurnal and they don’t
hibernate.
Tori: I didn’t know that. What does diurnal mean again?
Adriana: It means that they only stay out during the day and during the night they go back into
hiding.
Tori: Let’s get further into the descriptions of the prairie dogs ecosystem and habitat.
Ecosystem Description;
Adriana: Hey Tori did you know that there are many different types of prairies in the United
States?
Tori: Really I didn’t know that. What are they like? And how are they different?
Adriana: Well there are three types in North America, the Tall grass, Short grass, and mixed
grass prairie. They’re very unique because the prairie is an ecosystem that is all grass and forbs.
Tori: They really are and they have very rich soil and have a lot of nutrients there. This allows a
great variety of plants and crops to grow there. That also would give over 20,000 different
species habitats. The plants in this ecosystem have long extensive underground roots. These long
roots allow the plants reach deep underground to get water and keep them intact when there are
strong winds
Adriana: Did you know that the Tall grass prairies that are found in the Middle of the United
States are considered a threatened ecosystem?
Tori: The short and mixed grass prairies are also known as the Great Plains that is what mostly
makes up of the Black footed prairie dogs habitat.
Adriana: Speaking of their habitat what is it like?
Tori: Where the dogs live is only a semi-arid climate, there’s only about 20 inches of
precipitation a year.
Adriana: The summers get hot and the winters tend to get cold, there also are strong winds on
the Plains because there are no trees to break the wind which is common for the prairie
ecosystem.
Tori: Besides the prairie dogs, what other species live in the Great Plains.
Adriana: In the Great Plains, over 20.000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish
and insects are all native to the plains. Pronghorn, prairie chickens, sage grouse, burrowing
owls, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets are some of the many specific animals that are in the
Great Plains.
Habitat:
Tori: The black footed prairie dogs habitat is the short and mixed grass prairie or known as the
Great Plains. The prairie dog was once found in 12 states, southern Canada, and sometimes
Northern Mexico.
Adriana: The Prairie Dog once occupied 20% of the entire Western Rangeland, but today they
occupy less than 1-2% of that area. Now wild black-footed ferrets are now found only at
reintroduction sites that there is scattered through-out the middle of the U.S.
Tori: The dogs also spend most of their time in underground burrows; they use those to sleep in
and to go from one place to another.
Tori: Where the dogs live is only a semi-arid climate, there’s only about 20 inches of
precipitation a year.
Adriana: The summers get hot and the winters tend to get cold, there also are strong winds on
the Plains because there are no trees to break the wind which is common for the prairie
ecosystem.
Species Description:
Tori: The prairie dog is a very interesting animal. One of the many adaptations that help it to
survive is its high pitched barking call. When the prairie dog is being attacked by a predator, it
uses a distinct bark which sounds like a barking dog. This call is used to warn the other prairie
dogs around the area so that they are aware. Another survival adaptation that it has is its sharp
claws. Sharp claws on any animal on normally used to dig or climb. The prairie dog uses its
claws to dig burrows. An interesting adaptation that it has is that it doesn’t need to drink water.
They don’t need to drink water because they get their water source from all the plants they eat.
A prairie dogs ideal habitat is short and mixed grasses in the prairie.
Adriana: The energy role of the prairie dog in the ecosystem is that it is an herbivore. It’s a first
level consumer because it eats grass and the grass is a producer. The grass gives the prairie dog
energy to do what it needs to do.
Value and Impact to Ecosystem:
Tori: According to the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Program, “Despite being a keystone
species prairie dogs were, and in many areas still are, considered pests. Many people believe
prairie dogs compete with cattle for forage. Large-scale poisoning programs initiated in the early
1900s dramatically reduced prairie dogs numbers, leaving only small and isolated populations.
Poisoning is still common in many areas of the Great Plains.”
Human Impact on Species:
Adriana: The prairie dog is a keystone species. The prairie dogs keep the soil fertile which
allows grass and forbs to grow each year like they should. When they eat the grass, they make it
shorter and it becomes easier to grow. Bison and cattle actually prefer on the grass that the dogs
have eaten or around there.
Tori: So, is their ecosystem in danger of collapsing?
Adriana: Technically, their ecosystem is not in danger but it is being threatened by the human
population.
Conclusion:
Tori: If the humans are the biggest threat to them, how are they threatening them and who is
the most affected?
Adriana: We humans may not realize it, but we are the greatest threat to the prairie dog
population. To get rid of the prairie dogs, some people think that shooting them or poisoning
them is the answer. It’s not because you are putting them in danger. A majority of the people
that don’t like them are ranchers. They dislike them because the prairie dogs eat the grass that
their cattle could be grazing on and then leave them with nothing. To protect the prairie dog
population, people should just let them be. If they’re not bothering you, you shouldn’t bother
them and put their population in danger.