{"id":2206630,"date":"2026-08-14T06:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2206630"},"modified":"2026-08-10T18:02:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T17:02:28","slug":"its-the-size-of-ireland-and-home-to-a-whopping-400-million-individuals-making-it-one-of-the-most-densely-populated-places-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/its-the-size-of-ireland-and-home-to-a-whopping-400-million-individuals-making-it-one-of-the-most-densely-populated-places-on-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s the size of Ireland and home to a whopping 400 million individuals \u2013 making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earth is full of incredible wildlife spectacles, with thousands of animals gathering in one place \u2013 often putting on an awe-inspiring display.<\/p>\n

But if you want to find out the largest colony of mammals, you\u2019ll have to turn to the history books.<\/p>\n

According to the Guinness World Records, zoologist and ecologist C H Merriam discovered a prairie dog town that spanned 6.5 million hectares in West Texas, USA, in 1901.<\/p>\n

This made it almost the size of the Republic of Ireland, with estimates suggesting that the colony supported over 400 million prairie dogs.<\/p>\n

The black-tailed prairie dog is known for its loud and complex alarm calls and large colonies \u2013 also known as \u2018towns\u2019.<\/p>\n

Their towns are made up of interconnected burrows and mounds, which provides them with protection from predators such as coyotes, eagles and snakes, and are often described as\u00a0ecosystem engineers.<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> by Sophie Ellis was first published by Discover Wildlife on 5 August 2026. Lead Image: Getty.<\/em><\/p>\n

What You Can Do<\/h2>\n

Help to save wildlife by donating as little as $5 \u2013 It only takes a minute.<\/p>\n

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