Prairie Dogs are common in Custer State Park but one day we also watched a mountain lion as it slowly moved away from us.

We are camped near Custer State Park and the town of Custer in the southern part of the Black Hills at Custer's Gulch RV-Park. It is an OK commercial campground just like dozens of others in this area.

Prairie dogs Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota

Prairie dogs and buffalo are what Custer State Park is all about. In some places they are thick as flies around a feed lot. Getting pictures of prairie dogs is tougher than you might think. They are skittish animals and run for their burrows when you slow your car to get a picture.

Mountain Lion Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota

I am truly sorry that this is not a better picture but mountain lions do not pose for pictures and this one was no exception. Look at that exceptionally large tail as this big cat gracefully makes a retreat.

We saw two mountain lions during our stay in the Black Hills. The other one was within a mile of our campground when we saw it early one evening in the road in front of us. It turned to look us square in the eye then with the agility only a cat has --- ambled across the road and disappeared in the woods.

Prairie dog Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota

This prairie dog is barking at me. The name prairie "dog" comes from that distinctive bark.

Prairie dogs can be viewed in Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park both in South Dakota

This prairie dog is the colony lookout. His job is to sound the alarm if danger approaches. It looks like he has taken his turn at the buffet also.

Ground squirrels can be spotted in most wooded areas of the Black Hills in South Dakota

This is a small ground squirrel of some type.