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LeonardoWeiss, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons / https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Black-tailed_Prairi…IMAGE INFORMATION

A living burrowing squirrel of the prairies

Object Status:

Unlocated

Accession Date:

Oct 6, 1805

Primary Source Reference:

Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, 6 Oct 1805 (Selected Papers, 2, part 2: 894)

Notes:

Lewis and Clark sent a shipment to Jefferson from Fort Mandan in April 1805 that included "a living burrowing squirrel of the prairies" and two skins." Jefferson forwarded the shipment to Peale, his cover letter mistakenly describing the burrowing squirrel as "a species of Marnotte." Selected Papers, 2, pt. 2: 894

Specimen Type:

Live/living (presumably eventually taxidermied/preserved) | Skins

Current Common Name:

Black-tailed prairie dog

Current Scientific Name

Cynomys ludovicianus