In the Green Scene this week, Dr Ruth Freeman looks A prairie dog is a small, burrowing rodent that looks a bit like a chunky squirrel.

They live in the American Great Plains where you might see little furry heads popping up from mounds of dirt, looking around, and then letting out a sharp, yipping high-pitched call which sounds like a bark (which gives them their “dog” moniker).

New research is revealing that curlews, a species of grassland bird, use the dog’s bark as an alarm system to stay safe. 

Listen to the Green Scene here.