Gunnison’s prairie dogs in Utah belong to the southeastern corner of the state, the San Juan County grasslands and shrub-steppe near the Four Corners, not the wetlands and lakeshore refuges that show up as broad statewide reference points. Colonies dig extensive burrow networks in open grassland, and their diurnal, colonial habits mean a single active colony produces plenty of daytime sightings.
May brings the year’s high point with 20 of 98 records, tracking spring emergence from hibernation and pups first appearing above ground, though the count still reflects when surveyors visited more than how many animals live there. Utah’s reports lean toward iNaturalist, 69 of 98, suggesting hikers photograph active colonies more often than formal surveys pick them up. NatureServe ranks the species S3, vulnerable, in Utah, a step below its G3 global rank, reflecting how isolated Utah’s Four Corners colonies are from the rest of the range.
Full species profile
