How to Photograph Prairie Dogs: Small Animals with Big Personalities

Prairie dogs may not be the first wildlife species that comes to mind when planning a photography trip through the western United States, but they quickly became one of my favorite animals to photograph. Their curious personalities, constant activity, and entertaining social interactions provide endless opportunities for both wildlife portraits and behavioral photography.

Whether you’re visiting Badlands National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, or another prairie ecosystem, spending time at an active prairie dog town can easily become one of the highlights of your day. If you’re patient and willing to let the animals become comfortable with your presence, you’ll be rewarded with a surprising variety of photographic opportunities.

Prairie Dog Species in the United States

There are five species of prairie dogs in North America, four of which are found in the United States:

• Black-tailed Prairie Dog – The most widespread and commonly photographed species.
• White-tailed Prairie Dog
• Gunnison’s Prairie Dog
• Utah Prairie Dog

The fifth species, the Mexican Prairie Dog, is found only in northern Mexico and is considered endangered.

I’ve photographed Black-tailed Prairie Dogs throughout the Great Plains, including in South Dakota and Wyoming, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and Caprock Canyons State Park. They are the Prairie Dog species most visitors are likely to encounter across much of this region.

Where to Photograph Prairie Dogs

Prairie dogs live in underground colonies commonly called “prairie dog towns.” Individual towns range from a few acres to hundreds of acres, while larger colony complexes can extend across thousands of acres.

Some excellent places to photograph prairie dogs include:

• Badlands National Park, South Dakota
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
• Custer State Park, South Dakota
• Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming
• Caprock Canyons State Park, Texas
• Conata Basin, South Dakota

Once you locate an active colony, you rarely need to walk very far. The challenge isn’t finding prairie dogs—it’s deciding which one to photograph next.

Prairie Dog Behavior to Photograph

One of the reasons prairie dogs are so enjoyable to photograph is their constant activity. Rather than simply standing on a mound, they spend much of the day interacting with family members and neighboring prairie dogs.

Some of my favorite behaviors to watch for include:

Standing Watch

The classic prairie dog pose is standing upright while scanning for danger. This alert posture creates a wonderful wildlife portrait, especially when photographed at eye level.

The Jump-Yip Display

One of the Black-tailed Prairie Dog’s signature behaviors is the jump-yip display. A prairie dog rises upright, stretches its front legs into the air, and gives a sharp call.

The display may follow a disturbance, the disappearance of a possible threat, or a territorial encounter. It often prompts neighboring prairie dogs to respond, creating a wave of jump-yips across the colony.

Although traditionally described as an “all clear” signal, research suggests that the jump-yip may also help prairie dogs assess how alert their neighbors are.

Watch for this behavior after the colony has been on alert or following an interaction between prairie dogs. The jump-yip happens quickly and can be difficult to anticipate, making it an excellent situation for Pro Capture (OM System) or another pre-capture feature. By continuously buffering images before you fully press the shutter button, the camera can record the beginning of the display even if your reaction comes a moment late.

Wrestling and Play Fighting

Young prairie dogs frequently chase, wrestle, tumble, and climb over one another. Although the activity looks like simple play, it helps pups develop coordination and practice social behaviors they will use in both friendly and competitive encounters as adults.

At first, pups tend to play with their siblings near the nursery burrow. As they grow and begin exploring farther from home, they may also play with young prairie dogs from other families within the territory.

These bouts can begin suddenly and move quickly, producing some of the colony’s most entertaining photographs. Watch groups of pups near active burrows, keep your shutter speed high, and leave enough room in the frame for the action to move.

Family Interactions

Prairie dogs are highly social animals. Watch for mothers nursing their pups, adults grooming one another, or family members greeting each other by touching noses. Nursing provides a particularly intimate glimpse into family life and the bond between a mother and her young. These quieter moments help tell the broader story of life within the colony.

Feeding

Prairie dogs spend much of the day feeding on grasses and other vegetation. They often sit upright and hold stems between their front paws, giving photographers a clear view of their face and feeding behavior. Close-up photographs can capture their expressive faces while chewing, while a wider composition shows how they depend on the surrounding grassland.

Groups of Pups

Young prairie dogs are naturally curious. When several pups gather around the entrance to a burrow, they create wonderful opportunities for storytelling images and family group portraits. Look for different expressions and interactions among the pups, which can give each photograph a distinct personality. Use enough depth of field to keep multiple faces sharp, especially when the animals are at different distances from you.

Photography Tips

Slow Down

Prairie dogs are naturally cautious.

If you walk quickly toward them, they’ll disappear underground almost immediately. Instead, move slowly, stop well before reaching the colony, and allow them to become accustomed to your presence.

You’ll often find that after a few minutes they return to their normal routines.

Make sure to respect posted closures and viewing distances, stay on designated roads or trails where required, and never block a burrow entrance. If the prairie dogs repeatedly alarm-call, retreat underground, or stop their normal activity because of your presence, back away and give them more space.

Let the Wildlife Come to You

Rather than chasing individual animals around the colony, choose one active burrow and wait.

This simple change in approach often results in much better photographs because the prairie dogs become relaxed and begin behaving naturally.

Get Down to Eye Level

One of the biggest improvements you can make is lowering your camera to the prairie dog’s eye level.

Photographs taken from standing height often look documentary in nature, while eye-level images create a much stronger connection with the subject.

Be Patient

Prairie dogs rarely pose on command.

The best interactions may take several minutes—or longer—to develop. Spending extra time at one colony usually produces far more interesting photographs than constantly moving between locations.

Use Enough Depth of Field

When photographing several prairie dogs together, use a smaller aperture than you normally would for wildlife portraits. A slightly greater depth of field helps keep multiple animals in focus while still producing a pleasing background blur.

Use Short Bursts and Pre-Capture

Behaviors such as wrestling, chasing, and the jump-yip display happen quickly and may end before you can react. Short bursts increase your chances of capturing the peak moment without filling your memory card with hundreds of nearly identical images.

For especially unpredictable behavior (like the jump-yip), use Pro Capture (OM System) or the pre-capture feature in your camera to improve your chances of recording the action from its beginning.

Watch Your Background – TRNP_20180528_6118-Edit.jpg

Watch Your Background

Because prairie dogs are relatively small, moving just a few feet can dramatically improve the background behind your subject. Getting down to eye level can also help by placing more distant terrain behind the prairie dog instead of the ground immediately beyond it. A clean, distant background creates softer blur, better subject separation, and a stronger overall image.

Don’t Forget the Other Wildlife – Strongest Burrowing Owl photograph

Don’t Forget the Other Wildlife

Prairie dog towns attract much more than prairie dogs. Predators and other grassland wildlife are frequently drawn to these colonies, making them excellent locations to photograph a variety of species.

Keep an eye out for:

• Burrowing Owls using abandoned burrows
• Red-tailed Hawks
• Ferruginous Hawks
• Golden Eagles
• Coyotes
• Badgers

I’ve often found that sitting quietly at a prairie dog town leads to unexpected wildlife encounters beyond the prairie dogs themselves.

Recommended Camera Settings

Prairie dogs shift quickly between still portraits and fast action, so configure your camera to respond as their behavior changes. Saving separate portrait and action settings to custom modes can make it much faster to switch between the two.

• Aperture: f/4–f/6.3 for individual portraits and f/8–f/11 when additional depth of field is needed for groups
• Shutter Speed: For a still prairie dog, use a shutter speed you can reliably handhold with your lens and camera stabilization. Wrestling, chasing, and jump-yips may require 1/1250 second or faster to freeze the action.
• Autofocus: Continuous autofocus with Animal Detection, if available, or tracking autofocus
• Drive Mode: Continuous shooting for action and Pro Capture (OM System) or another pre-capture mode for unpredictable behavior
• Lens: A telephoto lens in the 200–600mm full-frame-equivalent range works well. Prairie dogs are small and often cautious, but curious individuals may allow closer-range photographs, making a telephoto zoom especially useful.

These settings are simply a starting point. Adjust your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to match the available light, your equipment, and the behavior you’re trying to capture.

Final Thoughts

Prairie dogs may not have the size or reputation of bison, elk, or bighorn sheep, but they more than make up for it with their personalities.

Their constant activity, playful behavior, and fascinating social interactions make them one of the most enjoyable wildlife subjects to photograph in the western United States.

If you find yourself driving past a prairie dog town, don’t think of it as just another roadside stop. Pull over, find a comfortable place to sit, and give the colony some time to come back to life around you.

With a little patience, you’ll likely leave with some of your favorite wildlife photographs from the trip.

Want to Learn More?

• Nature Photography with the OM System 40–150mm f/4 PRO Lens: Field Test Results
• OM System Bird and Wildlife Photography Settings: How to React Faster in the Field
• 9 Tips for Photographing Badlands National Park