The Little Watchdogs of the Badlands
Caleb stepped out of the car at Roberts Prairie Dog Town in Badlands National Park. The South Dakota sun felt warm on his blue cap. All across the flat dirt field, small mounds of soil poked up like tiny hills.
Right away, Caleb heard a high yip-yip sound. He looked out across the grass from the viewing area. Dozens of tan, plump rodents with black-tipped tails stood on their back legs by the dirt mounds.
"Look at all the prairie dogs!" Caleb said. He took a step toward the grass and reached into his pocket for a cracker.
Mom gently held his shoulder. "Stay back here on the gravel pullout, Caleb," she said. "We never go near wild animals or feed them. Human food can make them sick, and they need to stay wild."
Caleb put the cracker away and stayed at a safe distance. Mom handed him her small black binoculars. When Caleb looked through the lenses, a prairie dog seemed right in front of him! It was nibbling on green grass stems with its sharp teeth.
Suddenly, a shadow swept across the dirt. A large hawk was circling high in the bright sky.
- mounds:
- Small hills or piles of dirt.
- rodents:
- Small furry animals, like mice, squirrels, and prairie dogs, that have sharp front teeth for gnawing.
- binoculars:
- A tool with two lenses that you hold up to your eyes to make faraway things look close.
- burrows:
- Holes or tunnels dug underground by animals to use as homes or hiding places.
- colonies:
- Groups of animals of the same kind living together in one area.
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Main Idea
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Purpose
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Structure
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where do Caleb and his mom go to see the prairie dogs?
- 2What do the prairie dogs look like in the story?
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About this short story passage for Lower Elementary
“The Little Watchdogs of the Badlands” is a short story reading passage about Prairie Dogs, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (346 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.