prairie-dog
Plains tunnel-dweller
Prairie-dog as a verb means to pop up and look around, especially in an office setting—rising above a cubicle partition to see what's happening: Heads prairie-dogged across the office when the shouting started.
The image comes from the burrowing rodents that stand upright at their holes to survey for danger. (The noun prairie dog, usually unhyphenated, is the animal itself.)
Enclosed underground route
- excavateRemove earth systematically
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- denPrivate room or lair
- chamberEnclosed room or cavity
warren · network · colony · entrance · soil · digging · subterranean · earth
Dependent territorial settlement
- coterieExclusive social circle
- groomingSelf-care for appearance
- kinshipState of being related
- communicationExchanging ideas or information
cooperation · community · clan · family · bonding · interaction · group · assembly
Sharp canine vocalization
- vigilantKeenly aware of danger
- lookoutWatcher or vista point
- sentryGuard on duty
- watchfulCarefully attentive, observant
alert · scanning · upright · warning · guard · perceptive · observant · attentive
tunnel
Enclosed underground route
- excavateRemove earth systematically
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- denPrivate room or lair
chamber · warren · network · colony · entrance · soil · digging · subterranean · earth · refuge
colony
Dependent territorial settlement
communication · cooperation · community · clan · family · bonding · interaction · group · assembly · affiliation
bark
Sharp canine vocalization
watchful · alert · scanning · upright · warning · guard · perceptive · observant · attentive · hawk
squirrel
Bushy-tailed tree rodent
- marmotLarge burrowing ground squirrel
- mammalWarm-blooded, milk-producing animal
- herbivorePlant-only consumer
gnawing · incisors · fur · whiskers · cheek · foraging · grasses · seeds · roots · burrow
plains
Broad, level grasslands
- shortgrassLow-growing prairie vegetation
- steppeTreeless Eurasian grassland
- meadowGrassy field for grazing
rangeland · badlands · Great Plains · pasture · savanna · veldt · pampas · sagebrush · plateau · bison
prairie-dogsea otter
Marine mustelid mammal
whale · beaver · dolphin · polar bear · deep-sea fish
prairie, dog, prairies, dogs, dogged, doggedly, dogging, doggy, doglike