A study conducted at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, following preliminary assessments of bison (Bison bison) use of prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) towns, found that midsummer was when bison most frequently used prairie dog towns. Day-long observations revealed that bison exerted strong selection (nearly 90% of all habitat use and feeding time) for the prairie dog town, which occupied only 39% of the valley. While there, they partitioned their use of the colony by grazing in moderately affected areas and by resting in the oldest areas. Bison wallows increased steadily in density from 0.4/ha off town to 10.9/ha in the old town. The processes influencing bison use of this dog town may not operate to the same extent in other community types.
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