Interaction between coteries is sometimes violent. Females born into a coterie almost always stay within that coterie, while males almost always leave their birth coterie to join another nearby. Coteries are based around a harem of females and one or more dominant males. Within a larger colony there will be several subgroups, or "coteries" as they are called. It is thought that prairie dogs evolved this communal behavior primarily to ward off their numerous predators. While most of the colony will retreat to the safety of their burrows, a few lookouts stationed on opposite ends of the colony may tease the invader by drawing its attention from one prairie dog to the next so that it can't concentrate on any one individual. When danger is detected, the lookouts bark to warn the colony. Therefore it is critical for a colony to post lookouts who take turns constantly searching for and identifying types of danger. While burrows are a refuge from hawks, golden eagles, and coyotes, they can be a dangerous place when hungry badgers, weasels and rattlesnakes come to the colony. Most colonies have numerous burrows with a network of entrances allowing easy retreats but also quick escape. They live together in large groups called colonies or towns. Prairie dogs are among the most social of animals. Females can live to be eight years old, although males rarely make it more than five years. They attain adult size by October and reach sexual maturity at one year of age. Juvenile prairie dogs emerge after about six weeks. Females are pregnant for about 28 days, so young prairie dog pups are born in late April or early May. Mating is the activity that dominates the colony through early April. Males emerge from their burrows in early March, while females come out later in March. Unlike the Black-tailed Prairie Dogs of the Great Plains, Utah Prairie Dogs hibernate. They are thought to be closely related to the White-tailed Prairie Dog. Utah Prairie Dogs are tawny to reddish-brown in color, with short white-tipped tails and a black "eyebrow" above each eye-a marking that distinguishes them from other prairie dog species. Limited to the southwestern quarter of Utah, the Utah Prairie Dog has the most restricted range of all prairie dog species. The Utah Prairie Dog is the western most of the five prairie dog species that inhabit North America.
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