大象传媒

Prairie dog pups are an ideal snack for hungry predators and this family of swift foxes have set up home in an abandoned burrow right in the middle of a colony. With four energetic cubs, mum must hunt regularly to feed them all. When she goes out hunting the prairie dogs soon sit up and take notice, but they stay remarkably quiet. Alarm calls are good to warn of an impending threat, but if that threat comes to close the prairie dogs will often fall silent, so as not to draw attention to themselves. If a pup does learn from its parents, then learning when to be quiet and retreat could be one of the most important lessons of its life. Once the fox is out of sight, the prairie dogs become very animated, making an acrobatic display which could be the signal for "all clear".