Which prairie dog is listed as a facultative hibernator in contrast with the white-tailed species?

The black-tailed prairie dog is the prairie dog commonly described as a facultative hibernator in contrast with the white-tailed prairie dog.

Facultative hibernation means torpor is triggered by difficult conditions such as cold, food shortage, or water deprivation rather than by a fixed seasonal program alone. Black-tailed prairie dogs normally remain active through winter, leaving their burrows to forage, but may enter shorter bouts of torpor, especially at night or during severe stress.

The white-tailed prairie dog follows a more predictable pattern: it is generally classified as a spontaneous or obligate hibernator and begins seasonal anorexia and torpor in early fall. That contrast is why the two species are often used together in physiological studies of fasting, fat use, and thermoregulation.

The distinction is not absolute in every population. Local climate and resource conditions matter, and some black-tailed prairie dogs can hibernate more consistently than populations farther south. Thus, “facultative” describes the species’ flexible strategy, not a claim that every individual never hibernates.