Trace the twists of prairie dog evolution through new measurements and clever math.
This rigorous study uses morphometrics and principal components to map how different Cynomys populations relate, shift, and diverge across the Rocky Mountain region and beyond.
- Learn how external body size, tail length, and facial features compare across montane and black-tailed species.
- See how cranium shape and skull measurements relate to overall size, and what that reveals about evolution and ancestry.
- Explore how clustering and projections separate species and reveal possible shared lineages.
- Understand the biogeographic patterns that connect populations from Kansas to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Ideal for readers of vertebrate morphology, evolutionary biology, and biogeography who want a detailed, data-driven view of prairie dog diversification and history.