Prairie Rodents

[DanaT]

Hey an update on how prairie rats hear.

I got a response from that prof who did the prairie dog audiograms. It is an interesting read, especially if you understand audiograms (which by some ironic twist of fate I actually do).

Here was Dr Heffner's response:

"Dear Dana,

Attached is a pdf of the paper you requested.

Prairie dogs may respond to vibrations, but no one has tested them. The
audiogram I've sent you is for airborne sounds. Whether or not they can
hear footsteps in their tunnels would have to be investigated. One first
step would be to record sounds in their tunnels.

Your observation that if two people walk in and one walks out reminds me of
a similar observation about ducks. If two people walk into a blind and one
walks out, the birds act as though the blind is now empty. With regard to
prairie dogs, the question is whether they are peeking out or listening to
footsteps to determine if someone left. One test might be to drop a piece
of dark cloth or something else on the holes that would prevent them from
seeing out.

Wild animals seem to get used to vehicles (or else they are confused by
them, it's hard to know which). A deer that spooks at the sight of a person
will often stand and stare at someone on a tractor. I've also watched deer
walk by a railroad track while a train went by. They seemed nervous, but
didn't run away."

Interesting stuff.

-Dana